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The  Chinese  as  They  Are 


By   J.   R.  Saunders,  Th.  D. 

Graves  Theological  Seminary,  Canton,  China 

The  Chinese  as  They  Are 

i2mo,  cloth net  Si. 50 

The  well-known  missionary  writer  in  his  latest  work 
shows  the  exact  situation  now  confronting  the  Chinese 
and  the  Western  world.  A  book  of  great  fascination  for 
all  interested  in  the  Chinese  question. 

Men  and  Methods  That  Win  in  the 
Foreign  Fields 

i2mo,  cloth net  $1.00 

The  author  gives  in  practical  form  the  result  of  years 
of  experience,  (his  own  and  others')  of  workers  bearing 
upon  the  problems  of  Foreign  IMissions,  the  conditions  of 
non-Christian  lands  and  the  kind  of  missionaries  needed 
to  accomplish  the  greatest  results.  The  book  is  an 
examination  of  the  imperative  need  of  the  foreign  field. 

The  Cross  and  the  Reconstruction  of 
the  World 

i2mo,  cloth net  $1.50 

Dr.  George  W.  Truett  says:  "This  book  traces  the 
present  rapidly  changing  world  conditions  pohtically, 
industrially,  socially,  educationally,  religiously,  making 
the  earnest  insistence  that  Christianity  must  now  and 
ever  be  the  one,  only,  all-sufiicient  hope  for  humanity. 
It  has  a  distinctly  vital  message— a  message  supremely 
needed  for  these  momentous  days." 


a  member  of  an  influential  official  family,  who  declined 
a  high  official  position  to  help  christianity  in  south 
China. 


■,      ■'  ,  »       5  »     9    '        .        ?     >  ',        »     >  '       '      '  1   ' 


The  Chinese  as  They  Are 


By 
J.  R.  SAUNDERS,  Th.  D. 

Author  of  ''Men  and  Methods   That  Win  in  the 
Foreign  Field,'  "The  Cross  and  the  Recon- 
struction of  the  Worlds''  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


New  York  Chicago 

Fleming     H.     Revell     Company 
London  and  Edinburgh 


.«■••■» 


''Cdpyngfit^*i92i,'  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London :  2 1  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      75     Princes     Street 


Because  of  his  great  love  for  the  world's 
Saviour  and  longing  desire  that  the  Gospel 
be  preached  speedily  to  all  the  waiting 
heathen  nations,  as  shown  by  his  making 
the  largest  gift  ever  made  in  the  Southland 
for  foreign  missions  by  any  Baptist  brother 

this  book 

is  affectionately  dedicated  to 

the  memory  of  the  late 

COLONEL  JOSEPH  NEWTON  BROWN 
Anderson,  South  Carolina 

(^Deceased  January  24th,  ig2l) 


/*  •''*  <"^  V"  T" 


c 


Preface 

IN  the  past  the  West  and  East  have  been  widely 
separated,  but  the  time  has  come  when  we 
must  walk  together.  We  must  know  each 
other,  join  our  civiHzations  and  combine  our  re- 
sources in  meeting  the  world's  needs.  Before  we 
can  do  this  effectively,  we  need  to  understand  each 
other  and  the  forces  that  have  been  the  basis  of 
our  civilization.  Travellers  and  the  dwellers  in  the 
port  towns  have  written  much  about  China,  but 
these  have  confused  rather  than  revealed  the  people 
as  they  are.  We  need  to  spend  many  years  in 
actual  contact  with  the  people  before  we  can  know 
them.  Dr.  Arthur  H.  Smith,  whose  missionary 
experience  extends  over  nearly  fifty  years,  answers 
the  question,  Who  Knows  China?  thus:  "I  have 
met  only  two  classes  of  people  who  are  able  confi- 
dently to  assert,  *  We  Do.'  They  are  the  news- 
paper reporters  and  globe-trotters.  As  for  myself, 
I  am  continually  discovering  a  continental  area  still 
unexplored"  ("New  Currents  in  China"). 

The  world's  civilization  and  destiny  depend  on 
our  understanding  the  Oriental  situation  and  meet- 
ing it  wisely.  We  have  not  yet  understood  the  im- 
portance of  the  crisis  fast  approaching  its  crucial 

7 


^ 


8  PREFACE 

stage.  I  wonder  if  the  Christian  forces  realize 
this  as  the  business  men  do.  Thomas  W.  Lamont, 
representing  thirty-six  of  the  leading  banking  cor- 
porations in  the  United  States  and  indirectly  the 
leading  banks  in  England,  France  and  Japan,  was 
sent  to  China  to  examine  the  financial  situation 
with  a  view  of  organizing  the  Consortium  to 
finance  that  country.  After  six  months  he  re- 
turned to  New  York  City  and  made  this  state- 
ment: "If  ever  a  people  deserve  our  effective 
friendship  these  are  the  ones.  In  a  material  way 
they  will  repay  it  a  thousandfold.  China  has  un- 
told wealth  in  her  natural  resources.  It  requires 
only  the  stabilization  of  political  conditions  there 
in  order  to  develop  these  resources  and  make  the 
country  perhaps  the  greatest  in  the  world  in  actual 
as  well  as  potential  wealth. 

"As  I  went  into  the  interior,  rode  on  horseback 
through  the  little  villages  and  then  on  through  the 
cultivated  plains,  coming  into  personal  contact  with 
the  people  at  work,  tilling  the  soil  with  infinite  in- 
dustry, and  as  I  began  to  see  how  they  had  carried 
on  their  civilization  without  let  or  hindrance 
through  thousands  of  years,  I  became  thoroughly 
imbued  with  the  innate  strength  of  this  great 
people." 

My  object  in  preparing  this  volume  is  to  enable 
the  Christian  forces  of  the  West  to  know  the  peo- 
ple as  they  are  and  "  become  thoroughly  imbued  " 
with  the  supreme  opportunity  and  the  greatness  of 


PREFACE  9 

the  task  now  ours.  We  need  to  understand  this 
in  seeking  to  reveal  Christ,  the  world's  Saviour,  to 
them.  Western  commerce  with  its  usual  attendant 
social  evils  and  Western  civilization  without  the 
moral  ideals  and  dynamic  force  of  Christianity 
ought  not  to  be  permitted  to  mould  New  China. 
These  forces  are  likely  to  hinder  rather  than  to  help 
except  as  Christianity  is  given  first  place  in  the 
dawning  age.  Principal  Gaudier  at  the  Des  Moines 
North  American  Student  Conference,  1920,  spoke 
these  significant  words:  "  Probably  the  future  of 
the  world  depends  on  no  one  thing  so  much  as 
this:  Will  Chinese  education  in  the  next  genera- 
tion be  dominated  by  a  Prussian  or  a  Christian 
spirit?  I  believe  the  future  of  humanity  depends 
on  the  answer  to  that  question,  and  the  churches  of 
Jesus  Christ  must  answer  the  question." 

Our  brethren  in  the  Orient  struggling  for  better 
things  need  "  a  brother  who  will  walk  in  the  sun- 
light and  show  them  the  way."  If  we  will  do 
this,  they  will  be  a  blessing  to  the  world  for  all 
future  days.  I  sincerely  hope  that  the  Christian 
forces  ever5rwhere  will  be  aware  of  the  situation 
and  will  render  the  necessary  effort  to  meet  the 
conditions  for  their  needs  and  the  glory  of  the 

Father. 

J.  R.  S. 

Richmond,  Va. 


^ 


V 


The  Christian  greeting  that  occurs  ' 

in  the  letters  of  all  Christians  to  their       '^ 
fellow-Christians.      This   means   in   a       ^'^^ 
rough  translation  the  following:  "Ear-  "  ci^ 

nestly  desire  that  the  big  pastor,  San, 
obtain  constantly  from  God  and  my 
Lord  Jesus   Christ  grace  and  mercy.  -^j^ 

Amen." 

Every  character  is  a  word  with  dis-  ^5?} 

tinct   meaning,  written   from  right  to  ^t 

left  and  from  the  top  to  the  bottom. 
This  is  regarded  by  the  Chinese  as 
very  fine  handwriting.  J«^ 

Bf5 


'fa 


10 


Contents 

I. 

Their  Country 

M 

II. 

Their  Language 

24 

III. 

Characteristics  of  Greatness  . 

. 

30 

IV. 

The  Chinese  and  Foreigners 

37 

V. 

The  Chinese  and  Business   . 

.      44 

VI. 

The  Chinese  and  Music 

52 

VII. 

The  Chinese  and  Labour     . 

.       58 

VIII. 

The  Chinese  and  Government 

.      63 

IX. 

The  Chinese  and  Customs   . 

.      69 

X. 

The  Chinese  and  Women 

.      7^ 

XI. 

The  Chinese  and  Their  Worst  Classej 

5      81 

XII. 

The  Chinese  and  Education 

.       87 

XIII. 

The  Chinese  and  Medical  Science 

.      97 

XIV. 

The  Chinese  and  Ancestral  Worship 

.     106 

XV. 

The  Chinese  and  Religion  . 

.     113 

XVI. 

The  Chinese  and  Christianity     . 

.     121 

XVII. 

The  Chinese  and  Missions — Opening 
New  Work    .... 

•     131 

XVIII. 

The  Chinese  and  Missions — The  Com- 
pound      

.     137 

XIX. 

The  Chinese  and  Missions—Me 
OF  Work 

II 

thodj 

.     142 

12  CONTENTS 

XX.  The  Chinese  and  Christianity's  Great 

Opportunity  .        .        .        .148 

XXI.  The  Chinese  and  Their  Appeal  to  the 

Volunteer 1^5 

XXII.  The  Chinese  and  How  to  Meet  Their 

Needs 161 

XXIII.  The  Chinese  and  the  World  Politic  .     167 

XXIV.  The  Chinese  and  the  Kingdom  of  God     171 


Illustrations 


FACING 
PAGE 

A  Member  of  an  Influential  Official  Family,  Who 
Declined  a  High  Official  Position  to  Help  Chris- 
tianity IN  South  China    ....    Frontispiece 

Hon.  Go\^rnor  Mok  of  Kwangtung  Province,  China. 
He  Gave  Largely  to  Mission  Work  and  With  His 
Fellow  Officials  Gave  Valuable  Lands  for  Schools 
AND  Hospitals 30 

Imperial  Grounds  in  Peking.  Until  1900  No  Foreigners 
Were  Permitted  to  Enter  but  Now  the  Grounds 
Are  Open  to  Everyone  Interested  in  Chinese 
History 38 

Chong  Lip  Sz,  Banker,  Business  Man,  and  Friend  to  the 
Missionary 44 

Wong  Kok  Shun,  a  B.anker  Who  Has  Contributed  About 
$50,000  to  Christian  Work  During  the  Last  Five 
Years 44 

Mrs.  Saunders'  Most  Talented  Pupil  in  Music  in 
China  or  America 52 

The  Blind  Organist;  for  Years  in  One  of  the  Best 
Churches  near  Canton 52 

A  Chinese  Farmer  and  His  Mother.  The  Man  Won  His 
Wife  to  Christ  and  Then  His  Mother,  Who  was  75 
Years  Old 58 

Christian  Chinese  Family.  Notice  the  Length  of  the 
Man's  Clothing  and  that  of  the  Mother  and 
Daughter.  The  Latter  was  not  Engaged  when  a 
Child,  but  Allowed  to  Select  Her  Own  Husband  .     70 

Girls'  High  School  and  Main  Building  at  Hangchow, 
Central  China.  Such  Schools  are  the  Hope  of 
New  China 76 

A  Christian  Whose  Brother  was  a  Leper.  He  Himself 
was  a  Monk  for  Years,    His  Mother  was  a  Woman 

of  Bad  Character 82 

13 


14  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

"  The  Home  Day  "  of  Nanking  Christian  University's 
Alumni.  They  are  Raising  $50,000  for  this  Great 
University 88 

A  Leading  Young  Physician  in  Canton,  and  Helper  in 
Christian  Work 98 

Dr.  Jew  Hawk,  Hongkong,  China.  A  A^estern  Trained 
Physician 98 

A  Tomb  of  One  of  the  Ming  Emperors.    It  is  500  Years 

Old  and  Located  Near  Nanking 106 

The  Altar  of  Heaven  in  Peking,  Where  the  Rulers  of 
China  Turn  their  Prayers  at  the  Beginning  of 
Each  Year 114 

Chinese  Students  in  the  Leading  Educational  Institu- 
tions in  the  United  States  from  tee  Pui  Ching 
Academy,  Canton,  South  China    .       .       .       .       .122 

The  River-side  Where  We  Entered  Ying-tak  and 
Started  the  New  Work.  Our  Compound  Was 
Located  Nearby.  (Insert.)  A  Young  Hak-ka 
Preacher,  Who  Helped  to  Make  the  Work  a 
Success 132 

A  Section  of  the  Shanghm  College  Compound  (Campus)  138 

A  Section  of  the  Baptist  Compound,  Tung  Shan,  Canton  138 

A  Christian  Family  of  Great  Influence.  Two  Sons  and 
Two  Daughters  are  in  the  United  States  Preparing 
for  and  Doing  Christian  Work.  The  Father  is  a 
Native  Preacher  and  Leader 142 

Primary  BL^LDING  in  Canton,  Erected  in  Part  by  Funds 
from  the  Chinese.  The  Governor  sent  Nearly 
$1,000.    Another  Building  is  Being  Erected  .       .   148 

Head  of  Police  in  Canton,  a  Great  Friend  to  the  Mis- 
sion Work i.')6 

C.  Y.  Hui,  FROM  South  China,  now  Completing  His 
Third  Year  in  Richmond  College,  Va 156 

A.  Section  of  Great  Wall  at  Nanking    .       .       .       .162 

B.  Entrance  to  Confucian  Temple,  Peking    .       .       .   162 

C.  Entrance  to  Lama  Temple,  Peking      .       .       .       .162 

Map  of  China 176 


THEIR  COUNTRY 

NOWHERE  in  all  the  world  and  during 
all  time  do  we  find  another  nation  quite 
like  the  Chinese.  The  other  great  fam- 
ilies of  nations,  that  have  played  so  large  a  part  in 
the  world's  history,  have  acted  their  part  and  one 
by  one  disappeared,  but  the  Chinese  remain^  ever 
increasing  in  numbers  and  power  with  a  continu- 
ous history  dating  from  nearly  three  thousand 
years  before  Christ.  During  all  this  history  they 
have  successfully  resisted  all  forces  without  and 
within,  and  remain  to-day  with  greater  potentiali- 
ties than  ever.  To  know  these  unique  people  and 
the  forces  that  have  held  them  together  as  one 
family  is  to  understand  one  of  the  great  problems 
of  the  human  race.  They  have  many  lessons  for 
the  present  age  that  bear  on  all  lands  and  peoples. 
The  Chinese  have  been  the  greatest  force  in  the 
Orient  during  the  last  five  thousand  years.  Count- 
ing India  we  have  in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere 
more  than  half  of  the  human  family,  and  the  domi- 
nant people  in  the  highest  ideals  in  these  lands 
have  ever  been  the  people  of  China.  These  ideals 
•—and  not  the  country — ^have  made  the  people 

15 


16  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

stand  out  as  one  of  the  greatest  civilizations  in  all 
history.  They  are  the  only  people  who  have 
wholly  absorbed  the  Jews  as  far  as  we  can  ascer- 
tain from  authentic  history.  The  sons  of  Abra- 
ham reached  China  a  thousand  years  ago  (much 
earlier  some  people  think)  and  settled  in  Honan 
Province,  close  by  the  early  home  of  the  Chinese. 
These  people  from  across  the  mountains  were 
amalgamated.  Their  religion,  customs,  language 
disappeared  without  leaving  any  lasting  impres- 
sion on  the  Chinese  ideals. 

The  religious  leaders  of  India  had  a  profound 
influence  on  the  Chinese  in  modern  days  (com- 
paratively), yet  the  religion  of  China  antedates 
Buddhism  thousands  of  years  and  was  never  des- 
troyed by  it,  but  rather  the  foreign  religions  were 
adapted  and  made  a  part  of  the  Chinese.  Chinese 
have  given  the  Japanese  their  highest  ideals. 

Bishop  Bash  ford  in  his  book,  "  China:  An  In- 
terpretation," says:  "Two  facts  at  least  are  be- 
yond question.  The  Chinese  nation  is  the  largest  in 
numbers  of  all  the  nations  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and  their  civilization  is  the  oldest  continuous  on 
the  globe.  The  virility  of  the  race  is  indisput- 
able. The  physical  vitality  is  so  great  that  they 
have  captured  industries  and  trades  from  the  Rus- 
sians at  Vladivostock  and  along  the  Trans-Siberian 
railway,  and  have  led  in  industries  and  commerce 
in  competition  with  the  Japanese,  Indians,  Arabi- 
ans, Europeans  and  Americans  in  every  neutral 


THEIR  COUNTRY  17 

port  m  Malaysia.  The  Chinese  people  can  probably 
labour  more  continuously  under  extremes  of  heat 
and  cold  than  any  other  people  on  earth." 

Yes,  these  people  have  played  the  principal  role 
in  the  Far  East  for  the  last  five  thousand  years. 
In  natural  resources  and  man  power,  they  still  are 
the  greatest  in  potential  power.  They  will,  no 
doubt,  in  the  near  future  take  their  place  in  the 
nations  of  the  world  as  one  of  the  greatest. 

The  origin  of  the  Chinese  People. 

Although  they  are  the  oldest  nation  with  a  con- 
tinuous history,  yet  they  are  not  the  first  to  occupy 
their  present  country.  There  are  still  to  be  foimd 
the  aborigines  who  have  never  submitted  to  the 
Chinese.  These  aborigines  are  found  in  many  of 
the  mountains  and  on  the  islands.  They  are  a  dis- 
tinct people  in  customs,  appearance,  language,  and 
religion.  They  have  no  written  language,  do  not 
worship  idols  except  where  they  have  come  in 
close  touch  with  the  Chinese,  have  strange  mar- 
riage laws ;  some  are  larger  and  much  whiter  than 
the  Chinese.  They  have  their  own  government, 
peaceful  if  left  alone;  otherwise  cruel  and  resent- 
ful.    They  certainly  antedate  the  Chinese  people. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  Chinese  people  Julian 
Arnold,  in  his  "Commercial  Handbook"  says: 
"  The  origin  of  the  Chinese  Is  a  matter  of  dispute. 
The  fertile  lands  In  the  Wei  Basin  in  Southern 
Shensi  Province  In  West  China,  are  spoken  of  as 
the  cradle  of  China,  indicating  that  the  Chinese 


18  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

either  came  from  Central  Asia  or  that  the  race 
originated  here." 

As  to  their  earliest  period  he  has  this  to  say: 

"  The  legendary  history  of  China  is  believed  by 
the  Chinese  to  extend  back  to  the  beginnings  of  all 
things.  The  historical  period  takes  its  inception 
from  B.  c.  2852,  the  supposed  date  of  the  birth  of 
the  first  of  the  Emperors  as  credited  in  Chinese 
history.  The  Emperor  is  supposed  to  have  given 
to  the  people  (1)  the  marriage  ceremony,  (2)  mu- 
sical instruments,  (3)  the  ideogram  in  writing  to 
replace  knot  notation,  (4)  the  six  domestic  ani- 
mals, ( 5 )  the  mulberry  leaf  for  the  feeding  of  the 
silkworms,  and  (6)  fish  nets. 

"  The  Emperor  Shen-nung,  B.  c.  2700,  is  re- 
puted to  have  given  to  his  people  the  wooden  plow 
and  the  art  of  husbandry.  At  this  time  China  was 
supposed  to  extend  as  far  east  as  Shantung  Prov- 
ince and  as  far  south  as  the  Yangtze  Valley.'* 

As  to  her  present  territory  he  gives  this  infor- 
mation : 

"  Relative  position  of  China, — 

"  The  distance  from  the  coast  of  China  to  the 
coast  of  California  is  about  equivalent  to  twice  the 
distance  from  San  Francisco  to  New  York  City. 
The  northern  latitude  of  China's  territory  corre- 
sponds with  a  line  running  through  southern  Can- 
ada, and  the  southern  latitude  with  a  line  trans- 
versing  southern  Mexico.  From  east  to  west 
China's  territory  extends  over  a  distance  similar 


THEIR  COUNTRY  19 

to  that  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  of 
the  United  States. 

"  Area  and  Population, — 

"  Since  China  has  not  carried  out  a  proper  land 
survey  or  census,  the  area  B.-M  population  of  its 
territory  can  be  given  only  as  estimates,  as  in  the 
following  table  (figures  for  certain  other  coun- 
tries are  added  for  purposes  of  comparison) : 


Area  Density 

Region                                     (sq.  miles)  Population  (per  sq.  mi.) 

China  proper,  exclusive 
of     the     Manchurian 

Provinces     1,533,000  336,271,000  219. 

Manchuria   364,000  14,917,000  41. 

Mongolia    1,370,000  2,500,000  2. 

Chinese  Turkestan 550,000  1,200,000  2. 

Tibet    460,000  6,500,000  14. 

Total  Chinese  Territory  4,277,000        361,388,000  84. 

(As  to  population  estimates  differ  very  greatly.  We 
usually  think  that  450,000,000  is  more  likely  to  be  the  cor- 
rect number — Author.) 

South  America 6,850,000  35,000,000  5. 

United  States,  exclusive 

of  dependencies 3,620,000  100,000,000  33. 

Japanese   Empire    260,000  70,000,000  270. 

France  (continental)   ..  207,000  40,000,000  150. 

"  China  is  probably  one  of  the  best  watered 
countries  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  The  Yangtze 
River,  about  3,200  miles  long,  and  the  Yellow 
River,  about  3,600  miles,  rise  in  Tibet  and  flow 
east  across  North  and  Central  China,  emptying 
into  the  Pacific.  The  West  River,  about  1,200 
miles  long,  rises  in  Yunnan  Plateau  in  southeast- 


20  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

ern  China  and  flows  east  through  South  China 
into  the  Pacific." 

China  has  all  kinds  of  climate  from  the  frigid 
winters  of  the  North  to  the  mild  winters  and  long 
summers  of  the  South,  being  modified  greatly  and 
made  a  greater  blessing  by  the  large  and  well- 
regulated  annual  rainfall  (as  a  rule).  This  va- 
ries from  twenty-five  inches  in  the  North  to  sev- 
enty or  more  in  the  South.  Tientsin  and  Peking 
are  in  about  the  same  latitude  as  San  Francisco; 
Shanghai  near  that  of  New  Orleans,  and  Canton 
to  that  of  Havana,  Cuba,  yet  the  temperature  in 
China  differs  very  greatly  from  that  of  the  corre- 
sponding places  mentioned  in  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere, owing  to  ocean  currents  and  various  other 
modifying  causes.  Take  Canton  for  example. 
This  city  has  the  loveliest  autumns  I  have  ever 
seen  anywhere  in  the  world  with  three  to  four 
months  in  the  winter  needing  fire.  There  is  usu- 
ally a  little  frost  and  ice  each  winter  and  once  in  a 
great  while  a  little  snow.  Canton  is  reported  to 
be  the  coldest  city  in  the  world  with  the  same  lati- 
tude and  altitude. 

Nature  has  wonderfully  blessed  the  Middle 
Kingdom  and  suited  it  for  a  large  family.  Its  pro- 
ductiveness and  climatic  conditions  fit  it  for  one 
of  the  greatest  nations  in  the  world.  Owing  to 
sanitary  conditions  and  the  Westerner's  failure  to 
adjust  himself  to  existing  problems  of  health,  he 
may  not  be  as  strong  at  first  as  in  his  native  coun- 


THEIR  COUNTRY  21 

try,  but  this  is  not  due  primarily  to  climate.  Most 
likely  to  his  failure  to  make  the  proper  adjust- 
ment which  every  country  requires  of  its  inhabit- 
ants. China  unquestionably  has  one  of  the  best 
climates  in  the  world  though  many  wrong  impres- 
sions have  come  to  us  in  the  West. 

Again  there  are  many  wrong  impressions  as  to 
the  food  and  the  manner  of  living.  They  live 
very  differently  in  the  various  sections  and  do  not 
eat  the  same  things.  Taking  the  nation  as  a 
whole,  more  people  live  on  wheat  products  than 
rice,  yet  rice  is  the  staple  food  in  the  South  as 
nature  provides.  Sweet  potato,  beans  of  various 
kinds,  water  chestnuts,  many  varieties  of  greens 
and  vegetables  are  used  extensively.  They  have 
many  more  vegetables  than  we  have  in  the  West. 
In  a  recent  issue  of  the  London  Times,  as  quoted 
by  Bishop  Bashford,  we  have  this  information: 
"  China  has  the  richest  temperate  flora  in  the 
world.  Professor  Sorgent,  of  the  Harvard  Ar- 
boretum, in  connection  with  E.  H.  Wilson  and 
other  botanists,  has  introduced  into  the  United 
States  some  twelve  hundred  species  of  trees, 
plants,  and  flowers  from  China.  The  same  has 
been  done  for  England.  Thus  the  Western  world 
is  being  enriched  by  the  unusual  productiveness  of 
China.  Instead  of  the  Chinese  being  limited  to 
rice  alone,  they  use  a  far  larger  variety  of  vege- 
tables, grains,  and  tubes  than  do  Europeans  and 
Americans." 


22  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

The  Chinese  do  not  know  the  boundless  re-« 
sources  of  their  country  in  natural  wealth.  Su- 
perstition, lack  of  official  protection,  money  and 
transportation  have  prevented  these  resources  be- 
ing discovered  and  developed.  The  mountains 
are  full  of  coal  and  iron  ore  and  other  minerals, 
but  the  people  have  thought  if  they  dig  into  the 
mountains  the  demons  would  come  out  with  the 
dragon  and  kill  the  people.  These  evil  spirits 
would  bring  bad  luck,  with  sickness  and  death. 
This  superstition  has  done  much  to  hinder  the 
mining  of  these  great  beds  of  wealth  which  God 
has  created  for  their  good  and  the  world's  needs. 
Also  the  officials  have  been  more  concerned  about 
their  profits  than  the  protection  of  the  mining  in- 
terests. The  lack  of  railroads  and  proper  trans- 
portation facilities  have  made  it  unprofitable  to 
spend  much  on  the  mines.  These  barriers  will  be 
removed  in  New  China  and  she  will  become  one 
of  the  wealthiest  nations  in  the  world.  The  dire 
poverty  of  the  masses  will  disappear. 

"  Baron  Richthofen  pronounced  the  coal  and 
iron  resources  of  China  the  greatest  of  any  nation 
on  earth.  He  estimates  the  coal  area  for  China 
at  419,000  square  miles,  as  compared  with  310,- 
000  square  miles  for  the  United  States"  (Bash- 
ford).  It  was  reported  years  ago  by  an  expert 
that  there  was  enough  coal  in  one  province, 
Shansi,  to  supply  the  world  for  a  thousand  years 
at  the  then   rate   of   consumption.     A   nation's 


THEIR  COUNTRY  23 

wealth  is  fast  being  determined  by  the  amount  of 
coal  and  iron  deposits. 

This  great  wealth  of  natural  resources  will  be 
developed  in  the  near  future  and  do  much  to  make 
China  a  new  country,  yet  it  is  not  of  this  kind  of 
wealth  we  are  most  concerned.  It  is  the  people, 
their  history,  present  condition  and  outlook,  possi- 
bility as  a  great  nation,  being  a  blessing  to  each 
other  and  the  world,  that  give  us  the  most  interest 
and  concern.  Indeed  they  are  the  marvel  of  his- 
tory. Mr.  Rounsenvelle  Wildman  has  this  to  say 
about  the  people:  "Since  the  dawn  of  history 
China  has  been  a  civilized  and  a  religious  nation 
with  a  written  history.  She  has  had  a  continuous 
national  life,  and  has  never  been  driven  from  her 
Garden  of  Eden.  The  Chinese  of  3,000  years 
B.  c.  are  the  identical  Chinese  that  greeted  us  at 
the  opening  of  the  Treaty  Ports." 

These  people  in  their  relation  to  each  other  and 
the  outside  world,  their  ability  to  help  solve  the 
world  problems  and  the  mutual  help  the  Occident 
and  Orient  may  render  in  the  dawning  of  the 
present  complex  age  we  are  facing,  how  we  can 
help  them  In  their  struggles  to  know  and  appropri- 
ate the  blessings  of  advancing  civilization  which 
we  have  In  Christ,  are  the  questions  most  oppor- 
tune and  will  have  largest  place  in  this  volume 
rather  than  the  country  and  past  records  not  ger- 
mane to  present  problems. 


II 

THEIR  LANGUAGE 

THE  Chinese  language  is  probably  the  old- 
est in  the  world  to-day.  Mr.  Wildman 
says  the  Chinese  we  met  at  the  opening 
of  the  Treaty  Ports  were  the  identical  Chinese  of 
3,000  years  before  Christ.  This  may  not  be  true 
in  every  respect,  but  as  to  written  language  is,  no 
doubt,  quite  true.  The  characters  they  use  in 
writing  have  been  modified  by  different  genera- 
tions, yet  the  general  make-up  is  the  same  and  the 
ideas  and  ideals  conveyed  must  be  much  the  same. 
The  very  age  of  the  language  and  the  vast  num- 
bers speaking  it  add  great  interest  to  its  study. 
These  characters,  which  look  so  strange  to  us,  do 
service  for  not  only  the  450,000,000  in  China,  but 
are  used  in  Japan  and  many  of  the  surrounding 
countries  with  more  or  less  modification.  Origi- 
nally Japan  had  no  written  language.  She  bor- 
rowed her  characters  from  China  and  has  been 
using  these  ever  since.  In  recent  years  the  Japa- 
nese have  an  alphabet  of  forty  odd  letters,  yet  in 
the  cultural  literature  and  many  of  the  official  doc- 
uments we  see  Chinese  characters  still  used.  Even 
with  Japan's  splendid  adaptation  of  Western  life 
to  meet  her  needs,  she  has  not  given  up  altogether 
the  Chinese  characters.     Truths  written  In  Chi- 

24 


THEIR  LANGUAGE  25 

%  nese  characters  may  reach  a  third  of  the  human 
race.     This  cannot  be  said  of  any  other  language. 

There  is  a  distinct  difference  between  the  writ- 
ten and  spoken  language.  The  written  may  be 
understood  wherever  read.  There  is  also  a  dif- 
ference in  the  written  language.  We  have  the 
classical,  the  book  and  newspaper,  and  the  collo- 
quial styles.  The  classical  is  the  language  of  the 
sages,  the  book  and  newspaper  is  that  used  by  the 
writers  of  to-day  all  over  China,  and  the  colloquial 
is  used  by  the  common  people.  It  is  called  the 
vulgar  language  by  the  scholars  as  the  classical 
scholars  in  Athens  now  think  of  the  colloquial 
Greek.  The  colloquial  has  been  used  mostly  by 
the  missionary  in  his  efforts  to  reach  the  masses 
with  the  gospel. 

The  scholars  are  trying  to  make  a  modern 
alphabet  to  use  in  place  of  these  characters.  At 
this  time  the  language  has  no  alphabet,  only  214 
radicals,  of  which  each  character  is  composed  of 
one  or  more,  but  there  is  an  effort  to  produce  an 
alphabet  somewhat  like  we  have  in  the  West.  The 
language  has  no  grammar  of  any  consequence. 
The  first  Protestant  missionary  to  reach  China 
was  Robert  Morrison  in  1807.  He  felt  he  must 
make  a  grammar.  He  did  so,  but  this  grammar 
is  not  used  to-day,  and  no  one  since  has  found  it 
necessary  to  make  another  one.  The  early  priests 
from  the  West  tried,  but  their  efforts  as  well  as 
Morrison's  were  not  fruitful  in  learning  the  lan- 
guage.    Missionaries  in  recent  times  have  tried  to 


26  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

modernize  the  language  by  systems  of  Romaniza- 
tion.  These  have  had  local  use,  but  have  not  ap- 
pealed to  the  scholars.  The  efforts  to  make  a 
modern  alphabet  ought  to  succeed,  but  it  remains 
to  be  seen  whether  the  Chinese  will  give  up  the  old 
for  the  new.  The  tides  of  Western  civilization 
are  sweeping  over  the  country,  and  may  change 
the  language  as  far  as  the  alphabet  is  concerned. 
Commerce  and  intercourse  with  the  outside  world 
will  encourage  the  making  of  the  modern  alphabet. 

The  Chinese  people  love  these  characters  with 
thousands  of  years  of  sacred  memory.  Years  ago 
I  was  walking  with  a  Chinese  scholar.  I  read  a 
leaf  and  threw  it  down  by  the  roadside.  He  picked 
it  up  and  said  to  leave  the  characters  to  be  walked 
over  would  give  great  offense  to  his  people.  He 
picked  up  the  leaf  and  tenderly  cared  for  it. 
These  characters  are  indeed  precious  by  reason  of 
their  age  and  holy  memories,  and  splendid  use 
through  their  long  history. 

The  language  is  one  of  tones  and  idiom  very 
different  from  anything  in  the  West.  The  vocab- 
ulary is  complex  and  extensive.  The  number  of 
words  is  likely  greater  than  in  English.  So  many 
words  mean  the  same  though  used  by  different 
classes.  We  get  some  Idea  of  the  number  and 
make  up  of  the  words  by  their  dictionaries  and 
encyclopaedias.  K'ang  HsI  was  a  literary  ruler 
who  lived  in  the  early  period  of  the  Manchu  Dy- 
nasty (1644-1911).  His  greatest  work  was  the 
massive    concordance    and    encyclopaedia    which 


THEIR  LANGUAGE  27 

contained  44,439  characters.  About  200  years 
before  his  day  (1407)  there  was  completed  an  en- 
cyclopaedia of  22,877  volumes.  Its  table  of  con- 
tents consisted  of  sixty  volumes. 

The  above  refers  to  the  written  language,  yet 
in  addition  to  the  written  characters  there  are 
many  colloquial  words  in  daily  use  for  which  they 
have  no  characters  to  represent  these.  The  writ- 
ten character — a  single  character — always  repre- 
sents a  word,  yet  many  words  in  the  common 
spoken  language  have  no  characters.  The  mission- 
aries have  with  the  help  of  the  Chinese  teachers  in- 
vented a  number  of  characters  for  colloquial  use 
in  conveying  the  message  of  Christianity  to  the 
people.  A  number  of  books  and  tracts  are  writ- 
ten in  this  colloquial,  but  these  are  not  popular 
with  the  better  class. 

Characters  pronounced  alike,  but  with  different 
tones,  have  altogether  different  meanings.  This 
is  why  the  colloquial  and  the  spoken  language  may 
differ  in  different  sections,  and  one  section  will  not 
understand  the  language  of  another  section,  yet 
they  use  the  same  characters.  The  Mandarin  is 
spoken  by  most  of  the  people.  This  has  four 
tones,  yet  many  speak  the  Cantonese.  It  has  nine 
tones,  and  some  think  they  can  find  eleven.  Per- 
haps forty  or  fifty  millions  speak  Hak-ka  and  this 
has  six  tones,  and  there  are  many  local  dialects 
varying  in  the  number  of  tones. 

If  one  does  not  give  the  right  tone,  the  meaning 
may  be  very  different   from  what  one  expects. 


28  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Dr.  Martin  tells  about  a  man  in  North  China  who 
asked  his  cook  to  get  eighteen  yang  mi,  a  plum- 
like fruit.  The  cook  returned  bringing  twelve 
sheep  tails  (very  bushy  and  heavy  in  North 
China),  saying  he  had  walked  a  long  distance  and 
had  been  able  to  secure  only  twelve  sheep  tails. 
Sheep  tail  has  the  same  pronunciation  as  the  plum- 
like fruit,  but  a  different  tone.  The  missionary 
failed  to  get  the  right  tone  for  the  fruit,  giving 
the  one  for  the  sheep  tail.  Another  missionary 
was  walking  the  streets  in  a  Chinese  city,  and 
heard  the  boys  making  fun  of  this  new  arrival. 
He  thought  he  told  them  to  return  to  their 
homes,  but  he  gave  the  wrong  tone,  and  told 
them  to  go  to  the  demons  (devil) — a  very 
bad  advice  for  a  missionary  to  give  to  Chinese 
boys.  Fan  kwei  may  mean  return  or  go  to 
the  demons,  depending  on  the  tone  you  give. 
We  must  master  the  tones  and  give  the  exact 
idiom  if  we  are  to  know  the  language  well,  and  be 
a  real  help  to  the  people.  The  tones  and  idiom 
are  both  exceedingly  important. 

Those  who  would  know  the  people  and  think 
with  them  concerning  the  real  problems  of  life, 
must  know  the  language  well.  No  Westerner 
ought  to  be  satisfied  with  a  poor  knowledge  of 
both  the  written  and  spoken  language.  Chil- 
dren learn  it  more  readily  than  they  do  English — 
it  is  monosyllabic  and  simple  if  we  follow  the  ex- 
act idiom  of  the  people.  A  man  from  the  West 
should  not  hesitate  to  go  there  because  of  the  Ian- 


THEIR  LANGUAGE  29 

guage.  Any  one  with  average  attainments  and  a 
determination  to  give  his  talents  fully  to  the  task 
may  get  a  working  knowledge  of  the  language. 
A  musical  ear  and  a  willingness  to  learn  from 
others  will  be  a  great  help,  yet  the  most  important 
thing  is  ability  and  willingness  to  do  hard,  persist- 
ent work  on  the  characters  and  idiom  and  a  readi- 
ness to  mix  with  the  people  and  learn  from  them. 
When  one  has  learned  their  language,  one  can 
speak  a  message  to  the  largest  group  on  earth  to- 
day. It  is  well  worth  our  time  and  best  effort. 
The  time  spent  in  learning  the  language  gives  an 
opportunity  to  learn  the  people,  which  after  all  is 
more  important,  and  one  of  the  chief  reasons  we 
learn  the  language.  A  good  knowledge  of  the 
language  and  the  people  places  us  in  a  position  to 
think  with  them  and  help  them  in  all  problems  of 
this  life  and  the  life  to  come. 

The  task  of  learning  so  strange  a  language  is 
trying  with  some,  yet  with  others  it  is  very  fasci- 
nating. I  have  never  enjoyed  any  study  as  I  did 
my  first  years  with  the  Chinese.  I  am  sure  m.y 
enthusiasm  for  the  task  and  the  newness  of  the 
work  had  something  to  do  with  the  interest  and 
joy,  yet  study  still  has  great  pleasure  for  me,  and 
many  others.  When  I  reached  Canton,  China,  I 
found  Dr.  Graves  had  been  there  forty-five  years. 
He  was  studying  Chinese  though  he  must  have 
spoken  the  language  better  than  the  ordinary 
Chinese  and  knew  well  the  written  language. 


Ill 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  GREATNESS 


1 


^HE  Occident  has  known  but  little  of  the 
Orient.  Each  has  stood  aloof  from  the 
other,  thinking  too  often  that  one  is 
superior  to  the  other.  I  have  known  a  little  about 
all  classes,  and  the  more  I  know  the  better  I  appre- 
ciate their  real  elements  of  greatness  in  spite  of 
the  weakness  and  backwardness  of  their  civiliza- 
tion as  we  consider  real  greatness  in  the  West. 
Western  nations  have  enjoyed  certain  blessings 
which  have  not  reached  them ;  but  wherein  we  are 
greater  than  they,  we  can  trace  this  directly  or  in- 
directly to  the  Saviour  with  His  enlightening 
and  liberating  powers  which  Christianity  brings  to 
the  individual  and  society.  These  forces  have 
marched  westward  since  the  days  of  Paul,  yet 
China  has  retained  her  civilization  and  many  ele- 
ments of  greatness  to  a  surprising  degree  which 
those  of  the  West  do  not  understand  unless  they 
have  intimate  relation  with  the  people  as  a  whole. 
As  mentioned  in  the  Preface,  Mr.  Thomas  J. 
Lamont  was  sent  to  China  for  the  leading  bankers 
of  the  world.  When  he  returned  after  six 
months'  stay,  he  made  his  report  to  the  world's 
leading  financiers.     I  wish  to  quote  further  from 

30 


Hon.  Gov^ernor  Mok  of  Kwangtuxg  Provinxe,  China.  He 
gave  largely  to  mission  work  and  with  his  fellow 
officials  gave  valuable  lands  for  schools  and  hos- 
PITALS. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  GREATNESS      31 

this  report:  "  As  to  China,  I  am  aware  that  many- 
people  characterize  it  as  a  great  disorganized, 
almost  chaotic  people.  No  one  can  spend  even 
the  short  while  I  was  in  China  without  being 
deeply  impressed  with  the  industry  and  sobriety  of 
that  people,  with  the  idealism  of  many  of  their 
leaders,  with  the  growth  of  public  opinion  there, 
with  the  profound  effort  that  is  steadily  being 
made  to  establish  a  central  government  that  will 
function  as  well  as  the  local  governments  func- 
tion. The  present  government  at  Peking,  as 
every  one  knows,  is  weak  and  inefficient.  Yet  if 
the  American  people  lend  to  the  Chinese  the  coun- 
sel and  aid,  material  and  spiritual  (words  of  one 
of  the  world's  greatest  financial  experts)  which 
the  Chinese  are  so  longing  for  and  which  they 
look  to  America  to  give  them,  we  shall,  I  am  con- 
fident, witness  in  the  coming  years  the  develop- 
ment of  a  great  and  powerful  nation  there,  a  na- 
tion of  400,000,000  whose  admiration  and  warm 
friendship  for  the  United  States,  if  we  bestow 
proper  thought  and  effort  upon  the  matter,  will 
secure  for  all  time  to  come."  His  short  stay  of 
six  months  revolutionized  his  Ideas  of  the  people. 
He  went  and  saw  and  realized  their  innate  great- 
ness and  possibilities. 

The  true  greatness  is  not  in  material  wealth  and 
militarism  as  the  uncultured  soul  may  think.  The 
moral  ideals  and  nobility  of  character  do  much  to 
determine  a  people's  greatness.     Judging  the  Chi- 


32  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

nese  from  this  standard,  they  are  among  the 
world's  greatest.  These  ideals  have  been  the  basis 
of  much  of  their  greatness.  Dr.  Martin,  who 
spent  sixty-six  years  in  close  contact  with  the 
leaders  in  that  country,  said  of  their  ideals,  that 
\  they  had  the  greatest  of  any  nation  except  that  of 
the  ancient  Israel.  He  speaks  of  their  literature: 
**  They  recognize  under  the  name  of  Shang  Ti  and 
Ti'en  a  Supreme  Power,  who  presides  over  the 
destinies  of  men  and  dispenses  rewards  and  pun- 
ishments, but  they  do  not  inculcate  the  worship  of 
that  august  Being.  He  is  consequently  forgotten 
by  the  people,  and  His  place  usurped  by  idols.  Yet 
so  pure  are  the  moral  teachings  of  these  ancient 
wTitings  that  no  nation,  with  one  exception  (an- 
cient Israel),  ever  received  from  antiquity  a  more 
precious  heritage.  While  some  of  the  Sacred 
Books  of  the  Hindus  are  unfit  for  translation,  in 
the  Chinese  Canon  there  is  nothing  to  offend  the 
most  delicate  sense  of  propriety." 

These  moral  ideals  from  the  sages  have  had 
much  to  do  with  their  greatness,  yet  idolatry  and 
false  religion  from  other  lands  have  done  much  to 
weaken  the  ideals  with  the  masses.  This  is  seen 
in  the  superstition  and  cruelty  all  too  prevalent. 
However,  idolatry  has  had  less  influence  over  the 
morals  of  the  people  than  anywhere  else  in  the 
world.  Wedhurst  says  as  to  their  idol  worship: 
"  In  every  other  non-Christian  country  idolatry 
^     has  been    associated  with  human  sacrifice  and  the 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  GREATNESS     33 

deification  of  vice  accompanied  with  licentious 
rites  and  orgies;  nothing  of  all  this  exists  in 
China." 

In  winning  most  idolatrous  people  to  Christ,  we 
must  wait  years  for  the  development  of  high 
moral  ideals.  This  is  not  true  in  China.  Like 
Paul,  in  many  cases  we  have  great  characters  with 
which  the  work  of  grace  begins  its  work  of  devel- 
opment and  guidance,  conserving  all  forces  for  the 
ideals  of  our  Master.  They  need  to  see  in  Him 
the  fulfillment  of  their  perfect  ideals  and  the 
power  to  realize  these  in  the  daily  life  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  then  they  will  unite  with  the  forces  of  all 
righteousness  and  holiness  to  make  themselves  and 
others — all  mankind — ^honour  and  glorify  the  Fa- 
ther of  us  all.  Their  moral  ideals  and  noble  char- 
acters explain,  in  part  anyway,  why  the  Chinese 
make  such  wonderful  Christian  leaders  in  a  sur- 
prisingly short  time. 

These  moral  ideals  are  not  found  in  all.  Also 
many  are  not  able  to  make  great  spiritual  leaders. 
In  fact,  the  masses  are  not  quick  to  give  up  the 
old.  They  are  considerate  and  careful  to  weigh 
the  realities  of  any  religion  and  the  relation  of 
these  to  the  common  problems  of  life.  This  may 
mean  less  in  numbers,  but  more  in  quality  in  the 
early  efforts  in  any  field,  but  it  means  the  most  in 
the  end  when  we  have  perfect  truth  and  power  for 
all  needs  as  in  Christ  Jesus. 

One  element  of  greatness  is  seen  in  their  ability 


34  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

to  do  things.  They  have  invented  far  more  than 
we  reahze  and  given  many  original  ideas  to  the 
world.  A  recent  writer  in  China  called  our  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  thirty  years  ago  Kang  Yu 
\  Wei  advocated  a  League  of  Nations  and  claims 
that  he  received  his  idea  from  Confucius,  who 
lived  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago,  and  is  still 
their  greatest  teacher.  Mr.  W.  J.  Clennell,  in  an 
article  describing  the  Chinese  contribution  to  the 
civilization  of  the  West,  says:  "The  use  of  printed 
books,  the  use  of  paper  money  and  the  negotiable 
instruments  of  exchange,  the  use  of  glass  lenses 
.  •  .  the  use  of  cotton  materials  for  weaving, 
the  mariner's  compass  .  .  .  coal  as  a  fuel 
and  gunpowder  as  an  explosive,  of  firearms  and 
artillery  as  weapons  of  war  .  .  .  all,  with 
many  more,  were  carried  to  the  West  in  the  wake 
of  the  Mongol  Conquest,  and  fructuated  and  im- 
proved in  the  soil  of  Europe,  adapted  somewhat  to 
Western  needs.  Are  they  not  precisely  the  mate- 
rial and  mechanical  scaffolding  inside  which  the 
whole  fabric  of  our  modern  Western  life  is  built 
up?"  Comparing  the  Chinese  civilization  of  the 
thirteenth  century  with  that  of  the  West,  he  says, 
"  It  Is  an  unhumlliated  China  with  no  cause  to  feel 
Itself  inferior  to  the  Western  visitor,  nor  does  the 
Western  visitor  feel  that  he  Is  among  a  people  of 
lower  culture ;  he  certainly  calls  them  '  idolaters,' 
but  in  all  arts  of  war  and  of  peace,  he  seems  to 
acknowledge  them,   at  least,   his   equal.     He   is 


CHAEACTERISTICS  OF  GREATNESS      35 

somewhat  overwhelmed  by  the  sense  of  the  splen- 
dour and  immensity  of  their  world." 

Since  that  day  the  Reformation  and  the  ad- 
vance of  Christianity  in  the  West  have  changed  our 
civilization,  but  the  Chinese  have  remained  much 
the  same  with  a  larger  emphasis  upon  peace  at 
home  and  elsewhere.  When  the  dynamic  of  noble 
ideals  of  service  which  we  have  in  Christ  Jesus 
permeates  their  life  and  civilization,  then  they  will 
become  one  of  the  greatest  factors  in  the  whole 
world  for  the  very  best  civilization.  They  will  be 
our  brothers  for  world  peace  and  reconstruction 
on  the  basis  of  unselfish  brotherhood.  They  will 
even  add  their  conservatism  to  the  forces  of  right- 
eousness and  good-will  which  the  whole  of  Europe 
and  the  other  parts  of  the  world  so  much  need  at 
this  time. 

Their  persistent  plodding  and  self-control  in 
meeting  the  trials  of  life  are  a  marvel  even  to  the 
Christian  who  has  the  patience  and  forbearance  of 
the  Master.  "New  Life  Currents  in  China  says": 
"  I  accompanied  a  missionary  doctor  to  the  clinic 
in  one  of  the  Red  Cross  Refuges.  She  could  treat 
only  a  small  fraction  of  the  many  who  flocked  to 
her  improvised  bamboo  hut,  and  it  wrung  my 
heart  to  see  how  patiently  the  rest  turned  away. 
They  showed  that  spirit  in  all  their  trouble  and 
losses.  I  wonder  if  in  all  the  world  there  can  be 
found  another  people  as  patient  and  uncomplain- 
ing as  the  Chinese." 


36  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Julian  Arnold,  in  his  "  Commercial  Handbook 
of  China/'  has  this  to  say:  "The  Chinese  people 
have  the  capacity  for  organization,  for  repre- 
sentative government,  for  modern  industrial  and 
commercial  development.  They  need  the  con- 
structive sympathy  of  the  West.  A  country  v^ith 
a  civilization  as  old  as  China's,  with  the  culture  of 
the  centuries  filtered  down  through  the  masses, 
with  the  peace-loving,  industrious  propensities  of 
the  people,  and  with  the  mental  and  physical  quali- 
ties of  its  sons  and  daughters,  commands  our 
deepest  respect  and  our  genuine  sympathy  in  its 
struggles  now  to  bring  itself  in  line  with  modern 
civilization.  The  people  can  work  out  their  own 
salvation  if  they  are  given  time  and  assistance. 
It  is  well  to  remember  that  China  has  not  in  all  its 
history  repudiated  any  of  its  foreign  obligations 
and  that  damages  to  foreign  interests  in  China 
have  been  indemnified  in  full  by  the  Chinese." 

These  people  whom  Mr.  Arnold,  Commercial 
Attache  to  the  United  States  Government  in  Pe- 
king, describes  so  admirably  and  understands  their 
possibility  as  a  world  benefit,  are  just  the  people 
the  world  needs  for  the  present  crisis.  When 
.once  won  to  Christ,  they  will  do  much  to  make  the 
kingdom  of  this  world  that  of  Christ's.  The 
Yellow  Peril  is  a  potential  danger,  yet  if  we  go  to 
them  In  the  spirit  of  the  Saviour,  we  will  be 
brothers  for  the  world's  salvation. 


IV 

THE  CHINESE  AND  FOREIGNERS 

FOREIGNERS  have  much  to  overcome  in 
China  before  they  can  remove  the  bad  ef- 
fects of  the  early  traders.  The  first  to 
reach  the  Orient  from  the  Occident  were  traders 
who  went  there  to  exploit  the  country — get  gain, 
and  were  willing  to  use  almost  any  method  to  ob- 
tain their  selfish  aims.  For  every  dollar  they 
put  in  their  enterprise  in  that  country  they  ex- 
pected many  in  return.  Though  they  came  from 
Christian  countries  in  name,  they  never  mani- 
fested the  slightest  indication  of  the  spirit  of 
Christ.  Mr.  Wildman  tells  about  these  early 
traders:  "In  1516  Rafael  Prestello  (Portuguese) 
landed  in  the  mouth  of  the  Canton  River.  He  re- 
turned to  Malacca  and  reported  on  the  favourable 
trade  opportunities.  This  led  to  the  dispatch  of 
Perez  de  Andrade  for  Canton  with  a  squadron  of 
eight  vessels.  The  behaviour  of  himself  and  his 
nationals  was  such  that  the  newcomers  were 
rightly  styled  *  foreign  devils ' — a  term  of  oppro- 
brium that  is  still  applied  to  all  foreigners.  They 
rifled  the  tombs  (the  worst  possible  offense),  in- 
vaded the  temples,  robbed  and  pirated,  and  acted 
upon  the  same  lines  as  did  Cortez  in  Mexico  and 
Pizarro  in  Peru ;  but  unfortunately  for  them  they 
soon  found  that  they  were  dealing  with  a  race  that 
knew  how  to  treat  *  Tartars/  and  the  pirate  An- 

37 


38  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  AEE 

dres  was  arrested  and  beheaded  at  Peking  by  the 
order  of  the  Emperor  Chiaching. 

"  Four  hundred  years  of  commerce  and  inter- 
course with  European  nations  has  not  been  suffi- 
cient to  correct  the  impression  of  foreigners  that 
was  obtained  from  these  early  Portuguese  '  Navi- 
gators.' .  .  .  These  Christian  pirates  virtu- 
ally closed  the  door  in  China,  and  it  has  taken  cen- 
turies with  an  expense  of  millions  of  treasure  and 
thousands  of  lives  to  force  it  open  even  so  little." 

The  Chinese  also  learned  about  the  Christians 
of  the  West  by  the  way  they  were  treated  by  the 
Spanish  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  Wildman 
again :  "  For  no  other  reason  save  the  Spanish 
feared  that  too  many  Chinese  were  settling  in 
their  islands,  they  ordered  a  massacre  of  the  un- 
offending settlers,  and  slaughtered  over  twenty 
thousand  of  them  at  one  time." 

From  these  early  days  until  the  present  other 
nations  have  not  dealt  with  the  Chinese  as  their 
equals.  They  have  forced  by  the  sword  many 
treaty  rights  which  the  Chinese  did  not  wish  to 
give  and  sometimes  not  fair  to  them.  The  na- 
tions of  the  West  and  Japan  have  forced  terri- 
torial claims  and  spheres  of  influence  wholly  out 
of  keeping  with  a  brother  nation.  So  late  as 
twenty-five  years  ago  there  was  a  strong  m.ove  by 
these  nations  to  partition  China's  territory.  Rus- 
sia and  Japan  laid  claims  to  certain  lands  In  the 
North,  Germany  and  England  territory  in  Shan- 
tung, and  England  made   further  claims  in  the 


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THE  CHINESE  AND  FOREIGNERS      39 

South,  and  France  took  Tong  Kin.  In  addition 
to  actual  territory  much  of  the  whole  nation  was 
laid  off  into  spheres  of  influence  with  trading  and 
mineral  rights.  All  these  greatly  endangered  the 
nation's  independence. 

There  were  trivial  troubles  or  offenses  these 
foreign  nations  used  to  base  their  claims,  but  these 
were  mere  excuses  for  grabbing  a  weak  nation's 
territory  because  this  nation  sought  to  live  in 
peace  to  itself  and  the  world.  It  is  easy  to  see 
how  China  commenced  to  suspect  every  man  from 
the  West  as  her  enemy  with  sinister  motives.  In 
many  cases  she  was  right. 

The  Chinese  did  not  naturally  hate  foreigners. 
Possibly  the  first  to  reach  China  from  the  West 
in  good  large  numbers  were  the  Nestorians,  who 
came  with  a  message  concerning  the  true  God. 
Many  accepted  their  message  even  among  the  offi- 
cial and  educated  class.  These  early  mission- 
aries did  not  have  a  full  Gospel,  hence  could  not 
conquer  the  native  religions — finally  disappeared 
altogether.  The  next  were  the  Jews  and  the 
Catholics.  The  Catholics  were  received  most 
kindly  by  all  classes.  Many  were  made  converts. 
It  looked  for  a  while  the  nation  would  become 
Catholic.  Soon  questions  arose  bearing  on  the  re- 
lation of  the  convert  to  his  government,  duties  to 
the  E^mperor  and  to  the  Holy  See  at  Rome.  These 
questions  could  not  be  decided  by  the  local  priests 
and  congregations.  Many  of  these  intricate 
questions  must  be  referred  to  the  Pope.     The 


40  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

rulers  of  China  soon  saw  that  such  a  policy  as  the 
**  Holy  Catholic  Church "  was  fostering  in  that 
country  would  mean  disloyalty  with  the  converts 
to  the  throne  in  China.  Persecution  followed 
and  many  of  the  converts  and  friends  of  the  new 
religion  were  killed.  The  priests  were  either 
martyred  or  had  to  leave  the  country.  The 
breach  between  the  East  and  the  West  ought  to 
have  been  healed  by  Christianity,  but  it  was  not, 
rather  widened.  The  Jews,  as  mentioned,  were 
absorbed  by  the  Chinese. 

Wherever  the  foreigner  has  gone  to  China  and 
treated  the  people  with  kindness  and  brotherly 
love,  they  have  been  treated  thus  by  the  Chinese. 
There  have  been  exceptions  due  to  misunderstand- 
ings and  previous  erroneous  ideas  which  had  their 
origin  in  many  cases  in  the  results  of  bad  dealing 
on  the  part  of  traders  and  others  from  the  West 
who  have  counted  the  Chinese  unworthy  of  real 
equality.  Those  who  will  manifest  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  as  all  His  disciples  should,  will  be  received 
graciously  whenever  understood,  and  do  much  to 
heal  the  wounds  of  the  early  contact  of  the  East 
with  the  West. 

Marco  Polo  reached  China  in  an  early  day  and 
manifested  a  different  spirit  from  any  others. 
He  came  as  their  friend  and  was  anxious  to  know 
and  serve  the  Chinese.  He  represents  the  noble 
class  from  the  West  who  go  there  and  treat  them 
as  brothers.  The  "  Commercial  Handbook  of 
China"  gives  these  words  about  him:  "Marco 


THE  CHINESE  AND  FOREIGNERS      41 

Polo,  the  Venetian  traveller,  gave  to  the  world  a 
vivid  picture  of  this  wondrous  land,  in  many  re- 
spects with  a  civilization  in  advance  of  Europe  at 
that  time.'*  Marco  Polo  brought  to  the  Chinese 
knowledge  of  Western  art  and  life,  adjusted  him- 
self to  their  conditions,  w^as  ready  to  help  them 
any  way  he  could.  They  received  him  most  kindly 
and  trusted  him  as  their  friend.  Kublai  Khan, 
the  ruler  of  that  day,  chose  him  as  his  special  in- 
spector of  the  various  provinces;  no  greater  posi- 
tion of  trust  could  have  been  given  him.  He  did 
his  work  faithfully.  He  was  also  given  one  of 
the  most  important  cities  to  rule.  He  was  ever 
the  people's  friend,  and  has  ever  since  been  appre- 
ciated by  them.  He  went  over  the  most  danger- 
ous sections  in  his  day  and  was  treated  with  re- 
spect everywhere,  and  is  most  fondly  remembered 
by  the  Chinese  even  to-day.  There  is  an  idol  wor- 
shipped in  one  of  the  leading  temples  in  Canton  in 
honour  of  this  man.  Also  close  to  Canton  there 
is  a  temple  named  in  his  honour.  He  lives  on  in 
the  memory  and  lives  of  the  Chinese. 

If  this  were  true  of  Marco  Polo,  who  did  not 
seek  to  show  more  than  a  brother's  kindness  to  an 
appreciative  people,  how  much  more  will  it  be  true 
if  we  go  in  the  spirit  of  our  Lord  and  Master  and 
reveal  His  unselfish  life  of  service.  Wherever 
the  missionary  is  able  to  reveal  this  spirit  and  have 
a  part  in  the  common  problems  of  life,  such  things 
as  the  Chinese  can  see  and  understand,  he  has  been 
appreciated  very  greatly.     I  could  mention  hun- 


42  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

dreds  of  examples,  yet  I  shall  give  only  one  as 
typical  of  many. 

Foreigners  from  all  lands  are  in  Canton.  It  is 
the  first  place  where  the  missionary  of  the  West 
reached  that  country.  Many  live  there  now. 
More  and  more  the  masses  are  beginning  to  real- 
ize the  importance  of  the  place  of  the  missionary 
in  their  nation's  life.  One  missionary  was  asked 
to  serve  with  the  Chinese  in  meeting  the  common 
problems  that  come  to  a  certain  section  of  that 
great  city.  He  did  this  by  their  request.  It  did 
not  take  much  of  his  time.  Municipal  problems 
and  questions  of  sanitation,  education,  gambling, 
parks,  public  roads  and  streets,  etc.,  were  handled 
by  the  missionary  and  the  Chinese.  This  was 
nothing  more  than  any  missionary  ought  to  do  if 
occasion  comes,  yet  for  this  help,  the  officials  of  all 
classes  and  many  of  the  men  concerned  about  the 
welfare  of  the  people  were  anxious  to  show  their 
gratitude  for  his  aid.  The  Civil  and  Military 
Governors,  the  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and 
a  number  of  the  lower  of^cials  sent  or  gave  words 
of  appreciation.  The  head  police  of  China's 
greatest  city  gave  him  and  his  wife  a  great  recep- 
tion in  token  of  his  appreciation  of  this  mission- 
ary's labours.  Such  incidents  as  this  are  occurring 
in  many  parts  of  China  wherever  the  missionary 
is  able  to  manifest  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
meeting  the  tangible  needs  of  the  people. 

Christianity  holds  the  key  to  all  hearts  and  can 
yet  remove  the  chasm  between  the  East  and  the 


THE  CHINESE  AND  FOREIGNERS      43 

West,  which  bad  dealings  on  the  part  of  the  West 
in  the  past  have  created,  but  we  must  reveal 
Christ,  live  Him  and  follow  His  example  in  meet- 
ing all  the  needs.  If  we  will,  there  will  be  no 
"  foreign  devils  "  or  "  native  wretches  " ;  we 
will  be  brothers  with  common  needs  and  sympa- 
thetic hearts  for  each  other. 

The  first  American  minister,  who  sought  to  re- 
place force  wath  fair  play  in  dealing  with  the  Chi- 
nese, was  the  Honourable  Anson  Burlingame, 
1861-1867.  He  sought  to  change  the  action  of 
his  fellow-ministers  from  various  nations  from 
force  to  honourable  persuasion.  He  so  impressed 
the  Chinese  with  this  spirit,  that  at  the  suggestion 
of  Sir  Robert  Hart  (an  English  friend  with  great 
love  for  the  Chinese),  the  Emperor  wanted  to 
make  Mr.  Burlingame  Ambassador-General  to 
represent  China  in  dealing  with  all  foreign  na- 
tions. The  suggestion  was  accepted.  The  Em- 
peror wrote:  "The  envoy,  Anson  Burlingame, 
manages  affairs  in  a  friendly  and  peaceful  man- 
ner, and  is  acquainted  with  general  relations  be- 
tween this  and  other  countries.  Let  him,  there- 
fore, now  be  sent  to  all  the  treaty  powers  as  the 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  empowered  to  attend  to 
every  question  arising  between  China  and  these 
countries.  This  is  from  the  Emperor"  ("  China: 
An  Interpretation,"  pp.  422-434). 

This  example  from  a  statesman  and  one  also 
from  a  missionary  show  how  the  Chinese  appreci- 
ate kindness  in  any  phase  of  life. 


V 
THE  CHINESE  AND  BUSINESS 

THE  business  world  is  just  beginning  to 
understand  the  potential  power  of 
China's  natural  resources.  A  number 
of  great  business  enterprises  in  the  West  are  send- 
ing their  men  to  China  to  report  on  conditions. 
These  findings  are  bringing  much  valuable  infor- 
mation. I  noticed  this  recently  in  the  Chicago 
JWihune:  "  China  is  on  the  point  of  a  tremendous 
development.  What  Japan  has  accomplished  in 
the  last  twenty  years  (this  indeed  has  been  great — 
Author)  in  all  probability  will  be  duplicated  in 
China  in  the  next  ten  years.  China  needs,  at 
least,  thirty  thousand  miles  of  new  railroads.  She 
IS  building  new  cotton  mills  so  fast  that  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Saco-Lowell  Company  (Massachu- 
setts), builders  of  cotton  mill  machinery,  recently 
said  that  his  factory  could  operate  for  ten  years 
solely  on  orders  he  has  on  his  books  from  China. 
China's  present  7,000  miles  of  railroad,  although 
in  the  hands  of  politicians  and  inefficiently  man- 
aged, are  tremendously  prosperous.  The  entire 
world  is  knocking  at  China's  doors  for  her  native 

44 


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THE  CHINESE  AND  BUSINESS         45 

products  of  vegetable  oils,  wood  oils,  tea,  raw  silk, 
raw  cotton,  and  many  minerals." 

(The  facts  outlined  in  this  article  are  in  the 
archives  of  the  State  Department  at  Washington.) 

Although  her  mineral  wealth  is  the  greatest 
probably  of  any  nation  in  the  world,  yet  these 
beds  of  wealth  are  still  comparatively  untouched. 
Her  wealth  in  other  lines  is  wonderful.  Take 
the  soya  (or  soy)  bean  and  other  bean  products. 
Our  purchase  of  these  products  ten  years  ago 
amounted  to  a  few  thousand  dollars  annually. 
The  last  report,  as  given  in  the  "  Commercial 
Handbook  of  China,"  two  years  ago,  gives  the 
amount  $86,806,174.  No  doubt  last  year  it 
reached  $100,000,000.  Mr.  Arnold  thinks  this 
business  with  our  country  will  increase  from  year 
to  year. 

We  need  each  other*s  products.  We  will  use 
more  and  more  as  we  understand  the  value  of 
each.  Years  ago  a  flouring  mill  sent  a  man  to 
China  to  sell  her  products.  The  Chinese  would 
not  buy  at  first.  He  gave  them  sam.ples.  They 
tested  these  and  found  them  to  be  better  than  their 
own.  In  a  little  while  the  mill  in  California  had 
to  run  night  and  day  to  meet  the  orders  from 
China.  I  know  a  man  in  Shanghai  who  is  doing 
a  large  business  in  exporting  Chinese  cotton  to  the 
United  States.  A  tobacco  man  in  Virginia  told 
me  the  other  day  that  several  cars  of  Chinese  to- 
bacco had  just  reached  Richmond  to  use  for  spe- 


46  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

cial  blending.  America  has  none  just  like  this. 
We  are  sending  China  tin  milks,  butter  (China 
never  had  these),  Standard  Oil  products,  ciga- 
rettes, electrical  goods,  machinery  of  all  kinds, 
cotton  and  cotton  goods,  etc.  The  Pacific  is  des- 
tined to  be  the  world's  greatest  mart  of  trade,  and 
China  will  give  and  receive  as  one,  if  not  the 
greatest,  factor. 

We  are  well  situated  to  have  a  large  part  in  this 
mart.  We  need  to  go  there  and  deal  fairly  and 
honourably  with  the  Chinese.  Our  goods  stand 
high  in  the  Chinese  markets  because  of  their  real 
worth.  Worth  and  prices  will  determine  our  suc- 
cess if  we  have  the  right  kind  of  business  men. 
We  need  to  know  the  people,  their  language  and 
customs  if  we  are  to  obtain  the  greatest  results. 
The  German  business  man  taught  the  world  a 
lesson.  He  learned  the  language  and  put  himself 
on  an  equality  with  the  Chinese.  He  was  not 
after  standing,  but  business  and  the  interest  of  his 
country.  He  chose  the  best  methods  to  obtain 
results.  The  Chinese  greatly  appreciated  his  atti- 
tude. The  ruling  class,  with  the  pressure  of  the 
Allies,  caused  China  to  side  with  the  Allies,  yet 
the  masses  of  the  Chinese  remained  friendly.  No 
doubt  the  attitude  of  the  business  men  from  Ger- 
many brought  this  about.  Our  manner  of  contact 
with  the  people  will  help  business  as  well  as  the 
kind  and  price  of  goods. 

World  business  men  tell  us  that  the  Chinese 


THE  CHINESE  AND  BUSINESS  47 

business  man  is  among  the  most  honest  and  hon- 
ourable. He  is  keen  and  capable,  but  usually  fair 
and  trustworthy.  This  refers  to  the  leading  busi- 
ness man.  He  is  equal  to  any  and  superior  to 
most  as  a  business  man.  This  is  shown  in  contact 
with  other  nations  in  the  neutral  ports  and  in  her 
own  and  other  ports.  "  It  is  said  that  ninety  per 
cent,  of  the  business  at  Manila  (Philippine  Is- 
lands) is  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese;  it  is  on  them 
that  the  economic  importance  of  the  east  coast  of 
Sumatra  and  Java  depend,  while  many  of  the 
richest  plantations  in  Malay  peninsula  are  owned 
by  multi-millionaire  Chinese"  ("New  Life  Cur- 
rents in  China").  It  is  estimated  that  seventy- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  business  in  Hongkong  (an 
English  Colony)  is  done  by  the  Chinese.  Many 
of  the  largest  business  firms  in  Shanghai,  where 
all  nations  trade,  are  owned  and  conducted  by  the 
Chinese. 

A  certain  writer  says  this  about  Chinese  busi- 
ness men:  "Surely  a  people  capable  of  such  eco- 
nomics and  such  self-denial,  a  people  who  are  not 
afraid  of  beginning  at  the  bottom  of  any  business, 
who  often  work  their  way  to  the  top,  a  people 
whose  traders  frequently  manufacture  their  goods 
in  the  intervals  of  barter,  will  drive  even  the  Jew 
out  of  business  in  any  land  on  earth."  The  Chi- 
nese business  man  rises  early  and  works  late,  is 
satisfied  with  small  profits  and  safe  investment.  Is 
a  keen  trader,  yet  never  manifests  anxiety  to  sell 


48  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

his  goods.  He  talks  prices,  starting  very  high 
(especially  in  the  treaty  ports  in  dealing  with  new- 
comers) with  the  expectation  of  coming  down. 
However,  the  first-class  merchant  has  one  price. 
If  not,  he  reduces  but  little.  The  great  business 
houses  in  Canton,  Hongkong,  and  Shanghai  have 
only  one  price,  and  will  not  vary  for  any  one. 
Such  houses  are  growing  in  favour  with  the 
masses.  They  have  a  reasonable  profit,  give 
good  service,  and  expect  as  fair  play  as  they 
give. 

A  number  of  these  modern  business  houses  are 
conducted  on  Christian  principles.  Many  of  the 
managers  are  Christians.  One  of  the  largest  com- 
panies in  Canton — Sincere  Company — three  years 
ago  offered  to  engage  a  religious  worker  and  pay 
him  a  big  salary  to  look  after  the  religious  life  of 
the  many  employees.  This  shows  the  spirit  of  a 
number  of  the  leading  business  houses  in  China. 
We  hope  under  the  good  hand  of  our  God  to  have 
the  hearty  support  of  modern  business  In  China. 
This  means  much  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  These 
business  men  are  making  fine  laymen  who  are  giv- 
ing liberally  to  the  Lord's  work.  A  banker  and 
large  business  man  In  Hongkong,  Wong  Kok 
Shun,  has  given  In  the  last  five  years,  as  best  I  can 
ascertain,  about  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the 
Lord's  work.  He  made  one  gift  worth  twenty 
thousand  dollars  to  a  school.  Another  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  was  given  to  his  church  for  the  build- 


\ 


THE  CHINESE  AND  BUSINESS         49 

ing  fund.  The  attitude  of  modern  business  with 
the  great  laymen  developing  means  much  for  the 
kingdom  of  God.  To  these  laymen  we  can  confi- 
dently look  to  have  a  large  part  in  financing  the 
onward  conquering  army  that  must  bear  the  glori- 
ous news  of  redemption  for  all  peoples.  This  is 
as  we  have  long  desired  and  are  now  hopefully 
realizing. 

The  Chinese  business  man  loves  money,  but 
there  is  something  worth  more  than  money  to 
these  people.  Business  honour  is  guarded  with 
great  care.  Even  in  dealing  with  the  coolies  and 
common  day  labourers,  we  find  that  these  put 
great  stress  on  the  rules  of  the  game  and  the  ques- 
tion of  custom  and  honour  in  the  business  world. 
One  of  the  finest  examples  of  this  is  seen  in  the 
bonfire  made  by  the  Chinese  government  two 
years  ago  in  Shanghai  out  of  the  outlawed  opium 
held  in  the  godowns  of  foreign  merchants.  These 
merchants  with  the  Chinese  cooperating  business 
men  had  accumulated  a  large  supply  of  opium 
from  India  while  it  was  lawful  to  deal  in  the  drug. 
The  Chinese  government  had  put  the  poison  under 
ban,  and  wanted  to  stop  its  sale  in  that  country. 
To  meet  the  question  of  honour,  the  government 
bought  the  opium  from  these  business  houses  and 
burnt  it  in  a  great  bonfire  on  the  riverside  opposite 
the  city  of  Shanghai  in  the  presence  of  many  wit- 
nesses. This  bonfire  cost  the  Chinese  government 
about  $25,000,000,  but  it  manifested  to  the  world 


50  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

the  moral  stamina  of  the  government  and  the 
honour  also. 

One  needs  to  understand  the  immensity  of  the 
wealth  involved  in  the  opium  business  to  realize 
the  victory  of  the  government.  "  The  British 
Commissioner  of  Customs  reports  that  during  the 
years  from  1900  to  1916  China  must  have  spent 
$1,200,000,000  on  imported  opium.  The  amount 
of  money  squandered  on  the  native  drug  cannot  be 
estimated"  ("New  Life  Currents  in  China"). 

China  won  a  great  moral  victory  in  outlawing 
opium,  yet  the  battle  for  freedom  of  her  people 
from  foreign  opium  and  kindred  evils  is  not 
fought  to  a  finish.  The  evil  forces  of  the  West, 
cooperating  with  those  in  the  Orient,  are  uniting 
to  satisfy  the  demands  of  men  who  look  on  the 
human  family  as  an  occasion  to  get  wealth  rather 
than  an  opportunity  to  make  noble  men.  Japan 
through  her  treaty  ports  is  pouring  morphia  into 
China.  There  is  an  army  of  men  pumping  mor- 
phia into  the  arms  of  millions  in  China.  Much  of 
this  morphia  had  its  origin  in  the  United  States- 
sold  to  Japan,  modified  some  and  then  handed 
over  to  China.  The  United  States  and  England 
are  furnishing  an  army  of  splendidly  trained 
young  business  men  with  ships  and  ships  of  ciga- 
rettes. These  business  men  are  organizing  a  great 
force  of  Chinese  young  men  to  sell  cigarettes 
and  other  forms  of  American  and  English 
tobaccos   in   China.     Then  the   whiskeys  of   the 


THE  CHINESE  AND  BUSINESS  51 

West — outlawed  in  our  country — are  reaching  the 
Chinese  people.  Efforts  are  being  made  to  trans- 
fer the  outlawed  cursed  stuff  of  this  country  to 
China. 

These  worst  forms  of  our  civilizations  ought 
not  to  be  the  business  of  our  people  in  that  land. 
China  needs  her  young  manliood  for  the  nation's 
weal,  and  we  ought  to  help  prepare  these  rather 
than  to  weaken  them  through  evil  drugs  and  bane- 
ful habits.  The  good  citizens  and  lawmakers  of 
our  country  must  cooperate  with  the  friends  of 
China  in  their  own  country  with  these  here  and 
prevent  these  undesirable  results. 


VI 

THE  CHINESE  AND  MUSIC 

A  CERTAIN  writer  giving  account  of  Chi- 
nese music  says  that  he  is  reminded  of 
the  man  writing  about  snakes  in  Iceland 
who  commenced  by  saying  that  there  are  no 
snakes  in  Iceland.  There  is  no  Chinese  music  in 
China  of  the  original  kind.  The  Chinese  people 
have  been  musical  from  the  early  dawn  of  history. 
The  Peking  Leader,  February,  1919,  gives  some 
interesting  facts  about  early  Chinese  music.  The 
more  salient  points  are  these:  "Music  existed  in 
China  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Fu-hsi  (2852  b.  c.) 
and  Shen-nung  (2747  b.  c),  that  of  the  former 
being  called  fulai  and  that  of  the  latter  fu-chih. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  the  reign  of  Huang-ti 
(2679  B.  c.)  that  the  foundation  was  laid  by  con- 
structing a  musical  scale  of  twelve  notes,  six 
*  masculine  *  to  imitate  the  notes  of  the  male  phoe- 
nix, and  six  *  feminine '  to  imitate  those  of  the 
female.  This  was  done  by  the  court  musician, 
Lun,  who  took  the  bamboo  from  the  valley  of 
Hsai-chi  and  made  pipes  of  different  length  and 
with  them  produced  the  musical  notes  of  that  mys- 

52 


Mrs.  Saunders'  most 
talented  pupil  in 
MUSIC  IN  China  or 
America. 


The  blind   organist;    for  years    in    one  of  the  best 

CHURCHES    NEAR    CaNTON. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  MUSIC  53 

tic  bird.:  Since  that  time  the  Chinese  musical  scale 
has  always  contained  twelve  notes,  although  the 
vulgar  (common)  music  seldom  uses  all  of  them." 
The  writer  goes  on  to  say  that  the  scale  was  modi- 
fied by  successive  Emperors  until  they  had  as 
many  as  360  notes — practically  one  for  each  day 
of  the  year, — different  Emperors  seeking  to  excel 
in  musical  development. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  further  we  go 
back  the  more  general  and  the  more  perfect  must 
have  been  their  music.  Many  of  the  early  sages 
were  musical  and  fostered  this  art  among  the 
people.  Confucius  was  a  noted  performer  on  the 
lute,  and  "  like  George  Herbert,  consoled  himself 
in  his  last  hours  with  its  strains."  In  a  recent  is- 
sue of  the  Chinese  Recorder  Mr.  C.  S.  Champness 
gives  a  most  illuminating  article  about  Chinese 
music.  Hear  him:  "The  real  Chinese  national 
music  of  ancient  days  is  both  extinct  and  un- 
known. The  music  at  present  amongst  the  Chi- 
nese people  and  practiced  by  them  has  come  to 
China  from  the  region  of  Central  Asia  known  to 
the  Greeks  by  the  name  of  Bactria.  It  is  an  im- 
portation which  fulfilled  a  long-felt  loss  and  need. 
The  Chinese  were  without  music,  and  they  gladly 
welcomed  the  foreign  article." 

In  the  early  history  of  China  there  are  many 
stories  abounding  in  musical  reference.  How- 
ever, several  hundred  years  after  the  life  of  Con- 
fucius there  arose  an  Emperor,  Chin  Shih,  who 


54  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

wanted  the  people  to  think  of  him  and  not  the 
ancient,  hence  he  destroyed  all  the  books  of  the 
sages,  and  music  went  with  his  "  ruthless  hand  of 
hate."  After  his  reign  the  old  men  were  able  to 
reproduce  from  memory  the  Classics — and  likely 
hidden  copies  were  found,  but  the  music  of  the 
ancient  was  never  restored — entirely  forgotten. 
What  a  loss  to  the  Chinese  and  the  world! 

The  non-Christian  Chinese  may  sing  or  play, 
but  no  congregational  singing  is  permitted  even 
in  their  temples.  They  have  string  bands,  but  their 
instruments  give  us  no  idea  of  music — the  only 
element  of  real  music  is  that  of  time.  They  usu- 
ally keep  time.  The  bands  used  in  the  funerals 
and  festivals  give  us  no  idea  of  music.  This  is  all 
the  more  lamentable  because  the  people  were  once 
great  musicians  and  still  have  the  power  to  be 
such.  Mr.  Champness  says:  "  It  is  not  at  all  cor- 
rect to  speak  of  the  Chinese  as  being  a  race  that  is 
not  musical.  The  Chinese  have  all  the  capacity 
required  for  being  producers  of  good  music,  but 
they  have  hitherto  lacked  inspiration.  The  sad 
fact  remains  that  the  Chinese  do  not  at  present 
show  any  signs  of  wanting  to  become  good  musi- 
cians." He  gives  the  following  suggestions:  "It 
is  exceedingly  likely  that  we  can  find  traces  of  the 
old  music  of  China 'in  the  present-day  music  of 
Japan  (this  is  very  beautiful — Author).  The 
Japanese  in  reality  are  not  an  inventive  race;  all 
that  is  truly  great  in  Japanese  art  has  been  derived 


THE  CHINESE  AND  MUSIC  55 

from  China,  and  is  a  development  of  Chinese 
ideas.  In  all  probability,  therefore,  the  strains  of 
the  Japanese  zither  were  derived  from  the  Chi- 
nese music  of  ancient  form." 

"  They  lack  inspiration,"  and  this  comes  alone 
from  the  love  of  God.  In  the  early  days  they  had 
some  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  thought  of 
Him  as  a  personal  being  who  cared  for  them.  This 
may  explain  the  inspiration  that  gave  music  and 
joy  to  their  homes  which  have  disappeared  for 
many  centuries.  Christianity  is  restoring  the  an- 
cient love  for  music.  As  soon  as  they  become 
Christians  they  commence  to  sing.  This  may  not 
be  harmonious  music,  but  they  sing  with  the  spirit 
and  a  joy  to  themselves  that  is  indeed  gratifying. 
Many  of  these  Christians  develop  gradually  into 
good  musicians.  It  is  a  delight  to  enter  a  church, 
well  organized  with  trained  voices,  and  hear  hun- 
dreds sing  the  praises  of  "  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain,"  who  brings  to  them  a  love  of  music  and 
praise  most  encouraging. 

Mrs.  Saunders  taught  music  in  the  United 
States  and  in  China.  She  says  that  she  never  had 
a  student  in  the  United  States  who  could  learn  as 
fast  as  a  girl  she  had  in  China.  Many  Christians 
and  others  are  becoming  fine  musicians,  equal  to 
any  people  in  the  world  with  no  more  opportunity 
than  they  have  had.  I  know  a  young  man  whose 
parents  were  won  from  heathenism  about  twelve 
years  ago.     This  boy  became  a  disciple  of  our  Sa- 


m  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

viour.  He  studied  music  in  China  and  came  to 
this  country  eighteen  months  ago  and  entered  one 
of  our  leading  colleges.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Glee  Club  in  this  college  and  is  a  leader  in  music 
with  the  young  people.  There  is  no  question  that 
the  Chinese  have  all  the  capacity  necessary  to  be- 
come great  musicians,  but  Christianity  must  give 
the  inspiration.  Without  this  inspiration  they 
will  never  have  the  full  blessings  of  music.  This 
reveals  the  great  need  of  Christianity  in  that  coun- 
try. If  we  but  think  of  what  our  country  would 
be  without  the  joy  of  song,  we  can  realize  what  a 
blessing  Christianity  will  be  to  them.  Every  joy 
that  comes  to  us  and  our  homes  through  cultured 
song  is  an  argument  to  give  the  blessings  of  Christ 
to  the  Chinese.  The  Saviour  whose  coming  to 
this  earth  was  joyfully  announced  with  the  heav- 
enly host  of  praise  stands  ready  to  give  them  the 
inspiration  of  music  and  love  and  ideals  which 
they  wait  in  darkness  and  gloom  to  receive  and 
enjoy.     Then  they  will  sing  His  praises  forever. 

We  may  hold  a  service  in  that  country  lasting 
an  hour.  There  will  be  the  usual  song  service. 
After  the  regular  services  are  over  the  Christians 
will  often  say:  "  We  must  not  stop  so  soon,  let's 
sing.  We  want  to  sing  the  old  songs  and  learn 
some  new  ones."  This  will  go  on  for  another 
hour.  They  seem  never  to  tire  of  singing  and 
praising  our  God.  In  travelling  far  into  the  in- 
terior, crossing  mountains  and  valleys,  we  are 


THE  CHINESE  AND  MUSIC  57 

made  to  rejoice  to  hear  a  man  break  forth  In  di- 
vine music.  We  know  that  this  person  is  a  fol- 
lower of  the  Master.  I  was  travelHng  in  a  sec- 
tion infested  with  robbers.  I  had  to  engage  a 
boat.  A  man  came  running  to  me  saying  he 
would  take  me  down  the  river.  I  was  afraid  he 
belonged  to  the  robbers,  and  they  had  sent  him  to 
get  me  on  their  boat.  They  often  did  this.  We 
started  down  the  river.  I  told  him  to  rush  the 
little  boat  and  outrun  a  number  of  boats  coming 
behind  us.  He  commenced  rowing  with  all  his 
might  and  began  singing  "  There's  a  Land  that  is 
Fairer  Than  Day."  I  said  to  him,  "  How  about 
this?"  ''Oh,  I  am  a  Christian."  I  knew  we 
were  one  in  Christ  and  all  would  be  well  as  far  as 
he  could  help.  He  outran  the  robbers  and  landed 
me  safely  in  the  city.  Soon  the  robbers  came  and 
asked  about  me.  He  told  them  that  I  was  secure 
in  the  city.  The  joy  of  his  song  in  the  midst  of 
perils  of  robbers  was  a  delight  to  me  I  shall  never 
cease  to  remember. 

The  millions  in  China  will  sing  His  praise  all 
over  the  land.  What  a  volume  of  song  will  rise 
to  our  Father  from  their  liberated  hearts  as  the 
glad  tidings  reach  them. 


N 


VII 
THE  CHINESE  AND  LABOUR 


C 


OMMON  labour  is  dishonourable  in 
China,  though  a  large  per  cent,  of  the 
people  are  engaged  in  the  daily  task  of 
toil.  The  educated  man  takes  first  rank.  The 
officials  are  supposed  to  come  from  this  class. 
The  rank  of  the  official  is  determined  by  his  edu- 
'  cation.  This  has  been  true  in  theory  for  thou- 
sands of  years.  The  agriculturist  stands  high  in 
rank  because  he  produces  the  necessities  of  life. 
>^  The  agriculturist  is  not  supposed  to  be  a  common 
labourer.  The  merchants  do  not  stand  so  high  as 
the  producer.  The  soldier  has  a  low  rating  be- 
cause he  lives  on  the  labour  of  others.  The  idea 
that  he  exists  to  defend  his  country  and  protect 
all  classes  is  not  emphasized  because  it  has  not 
been  true  with  the  average  soldier.  All  classes 
look  forward  to  the  happy  day  when  they  can  rise 
above  labour  and  be  a  gentleman  of  leisure.  But 
few  can  do  this,  yet  many  are  striving  for  this  de- 
sired goal. 

Probably  a  larger  per  cent,   of  the  people  in 
China  depend  on  common  labour  for  their  liveli- 

58 


A  Lhixese  farmer  and  his  mother.     The  man  won  his  wi^e  to 
Christ  and  then  his  mother,  who  was  75  years  old. 


\ 


/ 


THE  CHINESE  AND  LABOUR     59 

hood  than  any  other  people  in  the  world.  In  the 
United  States  over  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the 
people  live  in  cities  with  a  population  of  over 
25,000,  but  in  China  it  is  estimated  that  ninety-five 
per  cent,  of  the  people  live  in  towns  and  villages 
with  less  than  20,000.  Fourteen  per  cent,  here 
are  devoted  to  producing,  yet  in  that  country  there 
must  be  at  least  eighty  per  cent.  The  hardships 
of  toil,  the  pressure  of  the  burdens  of  the  ever- 
tugging  loads  that  must  be  borne  by  man  or 
woman  are  enough  to  make  the  masses  dread  la- 
bour. In  going  to  the  markets  we  can  often  see 
women  with  little  girls  carrying  sacks  of  rice  or 
wheat  weighing  from  one  to  two  hundred  pounds. 
These  burdens  must  be  borne  across  streams  and 
rugged  mountains.  They  must  rise  early  and 
work  late.  The  women  and  girls  will  go  to  the 
fields  and  plow  and  fertilize  the  farms  and  look 
after  the  stock  on  the  mountains  where  the  tigers 
may  come  and  devour  them.  The  more  menial 
labour,  as  a  rule,  is  done  by  the  women. 

All  kinds  of  labour  is  dishonourable,  yet  not 
equally  so.  The  producer  and  the  manager  of 
farms  have  a  higher  standing  than  certain  other 
kinds.  The  chair  bearer,  who  must  carry  others 
with  the  grating  poles  on  his  back,  is  among  the 
lowest.  If  one  lives  a  worthless  life,  one  goes  to 
the  lower  regions  and  may  be  sent  back  to  this 
world  in  a  future  generation  as  a  chair  bearer — 
^he   curse   of   fate   determines   this.     No   greater 


60  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

punishment  can  be  meted  out  to  the  wasted  life 
than  to  be  forced  to  do  the  worst  kind  of  menial 
labour. 

The  labour  is  all  on  a  very  small  scale.  The 
average  family  in  that  country  must  make  the  liv- 
ing for  the  family  out  of  three  acres  of  land.  The 
f armicr  must  produce  for  his  family  and  others  on 
this  farm.  The  methods  of  farming  are  crude, 
yet  suited  to  the  intensive  farming.  The  Chinese 
produce  more  than  any  people  in  the  world  ac- 
cording to  the  acre  except  the  scientific  farmer  of 
Germany.  The  people  oppose  modern  methods 
because  these  would  make  idle  labourers.  Men 
are  hunting  work,  not  work  men.  Years  ago  a 
reaper  was  brought  to  South  China  and  used  on 
the  grain  fields.  The  old  men — wise  acres — 
looked  on,  yet  said  this  will  never  do.  It  will 
keep  so  many  men  from  using  the  little  hand 
scythe.     The  reaper  was  discarded. 

This  situation  need  not  exist.  A  land  with 
more  natural  resources  than  any  country  in  the 
world  need  not  be  the  poorest  and  force  the  masses 
of  the  people  to  look  to  farming.  The  people  can 
become  a  producing  nation  and  develop  their  natu- 
ral resources,  then  the  land  will  blossom  like  a 
garden  and  the  barren  mountains  will  turn  out 
wealth  for  the  people  of  that  country  and  the 
world.  Poverty  will  be  replaced  with  plenty, 
menial  labour  with  honourable  trade  and  produc- 
tiveness in  the  mines  and  in  the  factories. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  LABOUR  61 

What  does  Christianity  have  to  do  with  the 
questions  of  labour?  Much  every  way.  We  can 
show  that  labour  is  not  dishonourable.  The  Chi- 
nese are  greatly  surprised  by  seeing  the  missionary 
work  in  the  yard  and  take  part  in  the  games. 
This  would  be  a  disgrace  to  the  old  Chinese 
scholar.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
and  the  mission  schools  are  doing  much  to  remove 
this  curse  and  reveal  to  the  youths  of  China  the 
blessing  of  exercise  and  labour.  This  will  mean  a 
new  and  better  generation  in  the  future.  The 
Chinese  are  very  fond  of  games  and  play  well 
when  they  are  liberated  from  binding  customs. 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  help  the  masses  is  the 
industrial  school  where  the  poor  boys  can  make 
their  way  and  all  can  learn  to  produce  more  and 
help  develop  the  resources  of  the  country.  The 
opening  of  the  mines,  the  development  of  an  ade- 
cjuate  railway,  the  manufacture  of  commodities 
for  their  own  use  as  well  as  the  outside  world,  the 
sense  of  honour  given  to  toil  will  solve  Chinese 
economic  problems.  Applied  Christianity  to  the 
daily  problems  will  make  these  blessings  possible. 
Industrial  work  will  help  greatly  in  producing 
self-supporting  churches  and  remove  the  burden 
of  having  to  carry  the  work  of  Christianity  too 
long  with  foreign  funds. 

Industrial  education  will  help  in  a  practical 
way,  yet  do  even  more:  it  will  reveal  to  the  Chi- 
nese that  Christianity  is  not  a  mere  theory  of  life 


62  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

— it  is  a  solver  of  the  common  problems  of  daily 
toil.  This  will  remove  the  fear  that  v^e  are  deal- 
ing in  fanciful  theories.  The  Chinese  are  bur- 
dened with  too  many  of  these  already. 

Industrial  training  will  not  solve  all  her  prob- 
lems, but  will  have  a  wholesome  part  in  making 
New  China  freed  from  the  undue  burdens  of  pov- 
erty and  superstition  and  ignorance  of  the  true  es- 
sentials of  highest  service  which  Christianity 
holds  for  all  peoples.  The  eternal  realities  of 
Christianity  adjusted  and  applied  to  the  various 
problems  of  existence  is  the  one  and  only  hope  of 
making  all  resources  combine  to  meet  the  whole 
needs  of  the  body  and  soul. 


VIII 
THE   CHINESE   AND   GOVERNMENT 


1'^HE  Chinese  have  had  the  best  organized 
government  of  any  of  the  ancient  na- 
tions. Their  government  was  well  or- 
ganized before  the  nations  of  the  West  existed. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  they  borrowed  anything 
from  the  outside  nations  in  their  early  day.  They 
were  independent  and  satisfied.  Herbert  H. 
Gowen  says :  ''  Whether  the  Chinese  were  seated 
in  their  later  homes  from  time  immemorial,  as 
their  own  historians  assume,  or  whether  they  ar- 
rived from  abroad,  as  some  foreign  scholars  pre- 
tended, cannot  be  proven  to  the  satisfaction  of  his- 
torical critics.  Anthropological  arguments  seem 
to  contradict  the  idea  of  any  connection  with 
Babylonians,  Egyptians,  Assyrians,  or  Indians." 
These  people  have  been  able  to  preserve  their  gov- 
ernment and  rise  from  failure  to  renewal  as  no 
other  people  in  history. 

They  have  not  always  had  smooth  sailing. 
Many  bad  officials  have  had  control,  yet  there  have 
been  some  very  fine  men  and  women  who  have 
ruled  the  millions  of  this  land.   (The  rulers  of  an- 

63 


64  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

cient  time  are  still  honoured  and  regarded  as 
worthy  of  imitation^  As  early  as  S300  b.  c,  the 
famous  Yao  was  greatly  loved  by  the  people.  He 
showed  first  concern  for  the  welfare  of  the  people 
by  refusing  to  place  his  unworthy  son  on  the 
throne,  and  chose  an  obscure  person,  but  one  with 
noble  character — character  given  precedence  over 
blood  relation.  Where  do  we  find  any  other  an- 
cient ruler  doing  this  in  the  other  nations  ?  "  It 
is  said  that  Tsze  Ch'an  ruled  his  Duchy  so  well 
from  584  to  571  b.  c.  that  '  the  doors  were  not 
locked  at  night  and  lost  articles  were  not  picked  up 
from  the  highways'"  (Gowen).  Such  rulers 
have  done  much  to  perpetuate  the  high  ideals  of 
the  country,  and  preserve  the  nation  through  the 
changing  ages."^ 

One  who  gives  oneself  unselfishly  to  the  good 
of  the  people  has  received  the  praise  of  the  masses. 
Many  have  not  done  this,  yet  those  who  have  are 
honoured  still  and  live  in  the  memory  of  the  peo- 
ple. About  the  year  400  b.  c.  Chu  Yuan  grieved 
greatly  because  the  government  was  in  the  hands 
of  bad  men.  The  world  had  no  joy  for  him  w^hile 
his  country  was  in  the  hands  of  wicked  and  selfish 
rulers.  He  had  this  conversation  with  a  fisher- 
man :  "  *  All  the  world,'  he  said,  *  is  foul,  but  I  am 
clean.'  The  *  true  sage,'  retorted  the  fisherman, 
*  does  not  quarrel  with  his  environment.  If  the 
world  Is  foul,  why  not  leap  into  it  and  make  it 
clean  ? '  but  he  clasped  a  stone  and  leaped  into  the 


\ 


THE  CHINESE  AND  GOVERNMENT      65 

river"  (Gowen).  In  memory  of  this  man  giving 
his  life  to  reform  his  government  is  held  to  this 
very  day  one  of  China's  great  festivals,  The 
Dragon  Boat  Festival.  This  custom  is  still  SQen 
in  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  giving  their  lives  vol- 
untarily to  reform  their  governments. 

^he  idea  of  family  government  has  dominated 
China  from  the  early  times  to  the  present.  The 
rulers  are  to  have  a  fatherly  care  over  the  people. 
The  masses  look  to  the  officials  for  protection. 
The  common  people  have  a  perfect  right  often  ex- 
ercised of  appealing  to  the  rulers^  The  wise  ruler 
is  very  slow  to  fail  the  appeals  of  the  masses. 
The  President  of  China  last  year  refused  to  con- 
sider the  Shantung  settlement  with  Japan  because 
the  people  had  rejected  the  Treaty  as  forced  on 
China  by  the  Allies  and  Japan.  The  young  stu- 
dents all  over  the  nation  rose  in  indignation,  and 
the  President  dared  not  fail  to  heed  their  voice. 

Democracy  in  local  affairs  and  a  large  voice  in 
the  national  affairs  have  characterized  much  of 
Chinese  history  of  government.  The  struggle 
between  the  local  democracy  and  national  power 
has  gone  on  through  her  history  and  is  indeed  a 
most  serious  problem  just  now.  The  local  gov- 
ernments function,  but  the  national  is  weak  and 
cannot  force  unity  of  action  for  the  common  good. 
Many  of  the  old  rejected  Manchu  officials 
strengthened  by  military  powers  are  pleading  and 
intriguing  with  the  monarchical  forces  to  restore 


66  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

the  old  order,  yet  the  people  are  fighting  for 
democracy,  especially  the  young  men  who  have 
gone  abroad  and  know  the  blessings  of  "  govern- 
ment by  the  people  and  for  the  people."  The 
military  party  is  not  dead  and  is  making  great 
headway  in  certain  provinces.  This  party  may 
have  the  help  of  outside  finance  and  influence,  yet 
the  general  trend  of  political  life  is  hopeful.  No 
one  can  tell  the  final  outcome  of  so  great  a  mass 
of  untried  people  in  national  democracy,  yet  we 
see  much  to  give  us  hope  that  the  stalwart  young 
men  with  real  patriotism  will  bring  on  the  new  day 
for  which  many  long  and  labour  to  see  realized. 
The  nation  needs  above  everything  else  unselfish, 
worthy  leaders  and  the  masses  will  be  glad  to 
follow.  Such  leaders  are  growing,  but  too  slow 
to  suit  most  of  the  friends  of  the  country.  (The 
Chinese  are  admirably  fitted  for  democratic  gov- 
ernment when  once  enlightened  and  given  an 
active  part  in  the  problems  of  both  local  and 
national  governments'^ 

Here  and  there  throughout  China  we  find  cities 
with  splendid  government  and  democratic  ideals 
working  well  in  all  local  affairs.  From  the  city 
the  province  will  be  reached  and  then  the  nation. 
Outside  nations  ought  not  to  force  the  Chinese 
into  any  kind  of  government.  They  must  solve 
their  problems  of  government.  We  can  help  by 
example  and  encouragement,  yet  leave  the  prob- 
lems of  government  entirely  in  their  own  hands. 


\ 


THE  CHINESE  AND  GOVERNMENT      67 

They  are  sending  picked  men  to  other  nations  to 
study  all  questions  of  government.  These  will 
take  with  them  to  their  own  country  the  ideals  of 
the  various  nations,  and  these  different  ideals  may 
be  blended  and  modified  to  suit  local  conditions, 
producing  a  model  government  with  the  good  of 
various  governments.  China  has  made  greater 
changes  in  the  last  ten  years  than  any  nation  in 
history  with  less  bloodshed.  The  new  order  is 
not  made  stable,  but  wonderful  progress  has  been 
made  with  less  destruction  of  life  and  property 
than  any  nation  in  the  West  has  done  in  recent 
years. 

^Their  long  periods  of  peace  and  the  great  desire 
of  the  masses  of  the  people  to  have  peace  at  home 
and  with  outside  nations  will  do  much  to  preserve 
order  and  make  stable  their  new  government, 
^hey  have  always  loved  peace  and  avoided  mili- 
tarism. '  They  have  been  great  fighters  when 
aroused  and  led  by  great  generals,  as  seen  in  the 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries,  yet  this  has 
been  the  exception  and  not  the  rule  as  with  some 
other  nations. 

Christianity  with  her  great  concern  for  every 
one  has  done  much  to  prepare  the  people  for  good 
government.  The  churches  giving  the  people  a 
voice  in  all  their  labours  have  done  much  to  make 
the  people  expect  larger  consideration.  The 
Christian  organization  that  gives  the  members 
autonomy  just  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  handle 


68  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

all  questions  bearing  on  their  life  and  progress 
will  find  great  favour  with  the  people.  This  may 
be  seen  in  the  popularity  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and 
certain  churches  that  stress  democratic  ideals  for 
the  members.  Self-governing  schools  are  giving 
their  aid  to  better  government.  All  these  forces 
are  making  for  democracy  and  good  government. 
Christianity  always  teaches  the  people  to  render 
unto  Csesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's  and  unto 
God  the  things  that  are  God's.  This  holds  good 
regardless  of  the  form  of  government.  Each 
Christian  must  be  subject  to  the  powers  that  be, 
and  in  no  case  rebel  against  his  government  if  he 
is  permitted  to  w^orship  with  freedom  of  con- 
science; yet  enlightenment  and  individual  worth 
and  freedom  to  worship  always  develop  noble 
manhood  and  fit  the  people  to  live  for  the  other's 
good  and  look  to  the  good  of  the  whole.  This  is 
why  the  Man  of  Galilee  holds  the  key  to  the 
destiny  of  New  China  in  government  as  well  as  in 
wealth  and  prosperity.  Christ  can  purify  their 
ideals  and  make  each  live  for  the  other's  good  and 
this  will  unify  all  for  good  government  that  will 
abide. 


IX 

THE  CHINESE  AND  CUSTOMS 

THE  Chinese  have  not  had  much  written 
law,  but  customs  have  been  their  law.  The 
highest  appeal  to  a  Chinese  is  to  say  that 
this  is  customary.  This  is  the  law  of  the  ages  and 
must  be  obeyed.  It  w^as  my  happy  privilege  to 
have  part  in  opening  new  work.  Mrs.  Saunders 
and  I  travelled  where  the  people  had  never  seen 
a  foreign  woman.  We  would  make  long  journeys 
and  have  our  lunch  by  the  roadside.  The  people 
would  gather  around  us  to  watch  us  use  knives 
and  forks  and  see  what  we  had  to  eat.  We  were 
a  real  curiosity.  When  we  commenced,  the  an- 
nouncement would  be  made  and  great  numbers 
would  stand  about  us.  This  was  very  trying  to 
Mrs.  Saunders.  I  did  not  know  how  to  get  the 
people  to  leave  us  so  we  could  have  our  meal  with 
peace.  One  day  I  told  a  Chinese  preacher  about 
our  desire,  and  he  looked  up  to  the  crowd  and 
said,  "  Are  }^ou  vile  men  with  no  idea  of  cus- 
toms?" Then  all  left  us  alone.  It  is  not  cus- 
tomary to  watch  others  eat  in  that  country.  I 
learned  the  lesson  of  appealing  to  custom  if  I 
wanted  to  get  results. 

69 


70  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Many  of  their  customs  are  strange  to  us,  yet 
like  the  customs  of  most  countries  there  are  rea- 
sons why  these  customs  have  obtained.  Fashions 
are  not  controlled  by  money  as  so  often  in  the 
West.  The  question  of  need  and  propriety  has 
more  to  do  with  them  than  with  us.  The  custom 
of  holding  the  family  responsible  for  the  acts  of 
its  members  has  had  a  wholesome  effect  on  cer- 
tain characters.  The  family  and  the  clan  must  be 
responsible  for  the  behaviour  of  the  bad  charac- 
ters. This  forces  family  control  and  punishment 
of  the  wayward  ones.  In  the  modern  government 
this  custom  is  passing  away  and  each  is  held  re- 
sponsible for  his  own  deeds  and  not  that  of  an- 
other. The  emphasis  is  passing  from  the  clan  to 
the  individual. 

We  will  not  understand  the  reasons  for  many 
customs,  yet  until  we  can  offer  something  better, 
we  had  better  let  their  customs  remain.  It  is 
rude  and  uncivil  to  be  disrespectful  to  their 
ancient  customs  which  they  hold  to  be  very  sacred. 
I  was  led  to  raise  the  roof  of  a  certain  building, 
but  as  the  work  was  to  start  a  woman  whose  house 
was  located  to  the  south  came  to  me  and  said  I 
must  not  raise  the  building.  If  I  did  sickness 
would  come  to  her  family  and  maybe  death  and 
we  would  be  to  blame  since  we  had  raised  the 
house  a  few  feet  higher  than  the  other  houses  to 
the  south.  I  was  anxious  to  raise  the  roof  so  we 
could  get  fresh  air,  yet  her  pleadings  revealed  to 


THE  CHINESE  AND  CUSTOMS  71 

me  that  she  was  sincere,  hence  I  heeded  her  re- 
quest and  suffered  with  heat  in  order  to  have  re- 
spect to  a  custom  though  wrong.  A  little  patience 
and  kindness  and  explanation  will  often  work 
wonders  even  with  cruel  customs. 

One  of  the  most  foolish  customs  to  us  is  that 
used  in  the  burial  services.  Before  a  person  is 
buried,  he  must  remain  in  the  house  or  in  a  booth 
in  the  yard  until  the  graveyard  doctor  finds  a 
lucky  place  and  a  lucky  day.  This  may  take 
months,  yet  they  will  not  bury  their  loved  ones 
until  this  luck  finder  gives  orders  as  to  the  place 
and  day.  If  they  fail  to  heed  his  advice,  death 
may  come  to  others  and  great  trouble  to  the  de- 
parted spirit.  The  outraged  departed  spirit  will 
come  back  to  the  home  and  claim  three  members 
because  of  their  neglect.  When  the  eventful  day 
comes  to  lay  away  the  cofifin,  they  will  precede  the 
cofifin  with  loads  of  firecrackers  of  various  sizes, 
strewing  these  firecrackers  in  flaming  strings 
along  the  pathway.  The  sounds  will  echo  across 
the  mountains  like  a  battle  in  full  force.  As  they 
lay  the  coffin  in  the  grave,  the  whole  hillside  will 
seemingly  rise  up  in  smoke  and  sounds  from  the 
firecrackers.  These  drive  the  demons  away  and 
give  the  spirit  a  great  and  hilarious  entrance  into 
the  spirit  world.  It  will  also  protect  the  living 
from  the  revenge  of  the  departed  spirits. 

Such  funerals  are  often  very  expensive.  A 
Hongkong  paper  had  this  to  say  about  a  recent 


72  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

funeral  in  that  city:  "All  decorations  were 
brought  from  Canton  and  over  $20,000  spent  on 
the  funeral,  the  coffin  alone  costing  $1,500. 
Prayers  will  be  offered  for  the  dead  forty-nine 
days."  The  cost  and  anxiety  concerning  the  dead 
in  caring  for  their  needs  in  the  other  world  are 
great  burdens  to  the  people.  The  graves  must  be 
worshipped,  the  spirits  satisfied,  the  filial  duties 
performed. 

The  customs  bearing  on  marriage  are  also  very 
strange  to  us.  The  young  people,  as  a  rule,  never 
see  each  other  until  the  day  they  are  married. 
The  selection  and  arrangement  are  attended  to  by 
the  parents  and  the  middle-man.  There  are  no 
social  functions  giving  the  young  people  an  op- 
portunity to  know  each  other.  The  sexes  are  en- 
tirely separated.  Christianity  is  overcoming  this 
to  some  extent,  yet  we  think  that  it  is  better  to  go 
slow  with  the  customs  which  have  grown  up 
through  the  centuries.  The  moral  ideals  and 
honour  given  woman  and  man's  relation  to  the 
finest  of  God's  creation,  which  the  Master  will 
give,  are  needed  before  the  safeguards  of  ancient 
life  are  removed.  Buying  girls  for  wives,  the 
slavery  of  women  for  men,  the  lower  position  of 
womanhood  as  taught  by  Confucius,  the  idea  that 
educated  girls  will  not  make  obedient  wives,  etc., 
will  be  overcome  by  the  advance  of  Christianity, 
yet  it  will  take  time  and  the  general  spread  of  the 
truths  of  our  Saviour. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  CUSTOMS  73 

Even  in  our  churches  we  are  having  to  erect 
partitions  keeping  the  v^omen  on  one  side  and  the 
men  on  the  other,  making  the  separating  barrier 
so  high  that  the  men  cannot  look  over  and  see  the 
women.  This  is  true  in  the  beginnings  of  work, 
but  in  the  older  churches  the  barriers  are  re- 
moved, yet  the  women  are  on  one  side  and  the 
men  on  the  other.  Men  do  not  eat  with  the 
women  even  in  their  own  homes  except  where  the 
gospel  has  made  progress  or  Western  culture 
given  liberty.  Where  this  is  true  in  the  port  cities, 
we  can  see  the  young  folks  playing  games  to- 
gether, and  now  and  then  a  young  man  and  his 
wife  walking  the  streets  and  manifesting  real  love 
and  concern  about  each  other.  The  liberating 
power  of  Christianity  is  doing  its  glorious  work. 
The  blessings  of  the  gospel  we  do  not  understand 
— and  I  fear  appreciate — until  we  see  baneful 
customs  that  the  gospel  alone  can  remove  and 
make  perfect  the  better  life. 

I  was  travelling  in  the  interior  and  reached  a 
chapel  by  night.  I  found  that  a  missionary 
woman  from  Indiana,  United  States,  had  also 
reached  this  same  city  with  a  Bible-woman  and 
other  Christian  workers.  The  Chinese  were  so 
glad  we  had  come  that  they  decided  to  give  us  a 
feast.  The  feast  was  made  ready.  A  few  of  the 
leaders  came  to  me  and  said,  Do  you  think  It  will 
be  all  right  for  the  men  and  women  to  eat  together 
at  this  feast  ?    We  are  all  Christians,  yet  we  want 


74  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

your  opinion.  I  told  them  that  I  could  eat  with 
or  without  the  women,  and  would  leave  the  ques- 
tion entirely  with  them.  They  decided  to  have  us 
all  eat  together.  We  did  so.  A  large  crowd 
were  seated  at  the  tables,  eight  at  a  table,  men  and 
women  mixed  up.  At  my  table  there  were  several 
Chinese  preachers,  the  woman  from  Indiana  and 
her  helpers.  We  were  using  our  chopsticks  and 
clearing  each  dish  one  by  one  as  it  was  passed  to 
us.  Every  one  seemed  happy  and  having  a  big 
time.  One  of  the  Chinese  preachers  spoke  saying, 
"  *  If  the  Son  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free 
indeed.'  But  for  Christianity  we  could  never 
have  done  this.    It  would  have  created  a  mob." 

The  messenger  of  the  Cross  is  daily  seeing  the 
fruits  of  Christianity  to  be  the  following:  bring- 
ing deliverance  to  the  prisoners  of  customs,  sight 
to  the  blind  (physical  and  spiritual),  liberty  to  them 
that  are  bruised  by  superstition  and  ignorance, 
healing  to  the  broken-hearted,  hope  and  joy  given 
to  the  poor,  and  the  power  to  renovate  the  indi- 
vidual and  society.  These  blessings  are  so  full 
and  free  in  Christ  Jesus,  we  often  wonder  why  the 
millions  in  the  Orient  have  been  denied  them  so 
long.  Their  Saviour  and  ours  is  sufficient  for  all 
their  needs  even  In  liberating  them  from  the  cruel 
customs  of  the  ages,  but  He  must  be  given  a 
chance  by  our  lives  and  message. 


X 

THE  CHINESE  AND  WOMEN 

THE  Chinese  men  have  thought  of  women 
as  distinct  from  them.  Even  in  the  cre- 
ation man  came  from  one  source  and 
woman  from  another.  Confucius  taught  woman 
had  no  soul,  hence  inferior  to  man.  She  is  man's 
property  and  he  can  do  as  he  pleases  with  his  own. 
A  husband  can  beat  and  kill  his  wife  and  no  one 
has  a  right  to  interfere.  This  is  according  to  cus- 
toms, yet  in  spite  of  this  teaching  and  practice, 
woman,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  asserts  her 
rights  many  times,  and  dominates  the  home  and 
even  the  throne  in  the  past.  Several  of  the  great- 
est rulers  China  ever  had  were  women.  They  ob- 
tain these  positions  of  great  influence  in  the  home 
and  in  the  nation  by  their  inherent  greatness,  not 
by  any  encouragement  by  man.  The  women  are 
not  taught  to  read,  only  about  one  in  a  thousand 
can,  and  these  learned  mostlv  from  mission 
schools.  We  are  glad  to  note  in  the  new  govern- 
ment of  China  the  girls  are  encouraged  to  attend 
school  and  take  their  place  with  the  boys  In  mak- 

75 


76  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

ing  New  China.  This  is  one  of  the  most  hopeful 
signs  in  that  land. 

Though  the  Chinese  women  have  not  had  the 
privilege  of  the  women  of  the  West,  yet  they  have 
great  moral  worth  and  becoming  modesty. 
Bishop  Bash  ford  pays  them  this  tribute:  "Owing 
to  the  Confucian  teaching  and  the  rigid  practice 
of  the  Chinese,  the  women  of  China  are  probably 
freer  from  immorality  than  any  other  pagan 
women  on  earth.  Indeed  in  this  fundamental  vir- 
tue, they  surpass  the  women  in  some  of  the  Chris- 
tian nations."  This  makes  the  Chinese  women 
capable  of  producing  one  of  the  greatest  nations 
on  earth  in  real  moral  worth.  They  will  give 
their  sons  and  daughters  ideals  of  virtue  and 
power  that  will  fit  them  for  noble  lives  that  must 
be  the  bases  of  any  nation's  greatness.  Sin  and 
prodigality,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
eventually  destroy  any  nation.  The  Western  na- 
tions at  this  time  are  having  a  struggle  not  too 
hopeful  with  these  destroying  elements. 

The  Chinese  have  not  educated  the  women  for 
a  number  of  reasons.  They  said  that  the  women 
were  unable  to  learn.  Also  if  they  did  obtain  an 
education,  they  would  not  obey  their  husbands 
and  perform  the  duties  of  the  home  as  they  ought. 
The  first  duty  of  the  nation  is  to  the  sons.  Each 
family  felt  this  way.  They  could  not  send  all 
their  sons  to  school,  much  less  the  girls.  The 
progress  of  Christianity  has  done  much  to  over- 


■SI 


'3 


'/J 


3  "^ 


THE  CHINESE  AND  WOMEN  77 

come  this  curse.     The girls, can  attend  mission 

schools  in  many  places.  The  new  government  is 
establishing  lower  grade  schools  and  normals  for 
the  girls,  and  means  to  have  colleges  as  they  ad- 
vance in  their  education.  In  the  fifteen  hundred 
students  in  the  United  States  from  China  about 
two  hundred  are  girls  who  are  taking  first  rank  in 
a  number  of  our  leading  institutions.  The  first 
girls  who  reached  the  United  States  from  China 
to  be  educated  arrived  here  thirty  years  ago  and 
entered  our  leading  universities.  They  graduated 
and  returned  to  their  own  country  as  helpers  in 
lifting  their  sisters  from  the  slavery  of  ignorance 
to  the  liberty  of  full  womanhood.  In  my  own 
city,  Canton,  there  is  a  young  woman  active  in 
helping  her  sisters,  a  Ph.  D.  from  the  University 
of  Paris,  France.  The  Chinese  girls  are  capable 
and  worthy  of  the  highest  training. 

In  1910  we  were  spending  several  weeks  at  the 
China  Inland  Mission  Home  in  London,  England. 
There  came  to  this  home  a  young  Chinese  girl 
who  had  just  finished  her  course  in  kindergarten 
in  New  York  City.  She  wanted  to  join  our  party 
and  see  Europe  and  Palestine.  Miss  Mary  Chang 
joined  our  party.  She  spoke  good  English, 
was  at  home  w^ith  any  people,  keen  to  learn 
wherever  she  went.  She  had  noble  Ideals.  Her 
chief  concern  was  to  learn  about  her  Saviour  and 
how  she  could  witness  for  Him  most  effectively. 
She  viewed  the  scenes  of  His  earthly  career  with 


78  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

deep  emotion.  Every  one  who  saw  her  had  a  dif- 
ferent idea  of  Chinese  women,  and  their  power 
to  bless  their  nation  and  the  world. 

We  need  to  see  the  following  statement  to  un- 
derstand the  poverty  of  educational  work  with  the 
women  of  China:  "According  to  *  The  Educa- 
tional Directory  and  Year  Book  of  China '  for 
1918,  the  number  of  pupils  in  the  schools  of  China 
during  1917  was  4,075,338.  This  grand  total  is 
made  up  of  3,898,065  boys  and  177,273 
girls''  ("Commercial  Handbook  of  China"). 
There  are  over  twenty  million  girls  in  that  coun- 
try who  ought  to  be  in  school,  yet  less  than 
200,000.  Many  of  these,  who  are  in  school,  are 
in  the  mission  schools.  The  present  number  of 
girls,  however,  in  government  schools  must  be 
considerably  larger  than  four  years  ago. 

One  of  the  surprises  of  our  contact  with  the 
women  is  their  ability  to  learn  in  spite  of  their 
long  neglect.  When  given  a  chance,  they  learn  as 
rapidly  as  the  girls  of  most  any  country.  Old 
women  of  fifty  or  more,  who  never  knew  a  Chinese 
character,  will  learn  many  hundreds  of  these  so 
they  can  read  the  New  Testament  or  use  the  song 
book.  Well  do  T  remember  a  woman  approaching 
sixty  very  closely  turned  from  idols  and  followed 
the  Saviour.  She  commenced  to  study  and  was 
able  in  a  few  years  to  read  the  New  Testament 
and  have  a  splendid  part  in  leading  women  and 
girls  to  Christ  in  her  own  city.    She  had  to  learn 


THE  CHINESE  AND  WOMEN  79 

several  thousands  of  Chinese  characters  to  be  able 
to  read  the  New  Testament  well. 

The  women  of  China  are  the  hope  of  Christian- 
ity. Dr.  Martin  says  that  ignorant  woman  made 
China  Buddhist,  will  not  intelligent  woman  make 
it  Christian?  The  women  hold  the  nation  in  their 
grasp,  hence  if  the  nation  is  to  be  Christian,  we 
must  reach  the  women  with  the  gospel.  Thus  far 
many  more  men  have  entered  the  churches  than 
women  owing  to  the  fact  that  we  can  approach  the 
men  more  easily  than  the  women.  The  women 
have  the  idols  in  their  kitchens,  in  front  of  the 
houses,  and  their  own  special  idols  in  the  temples. 
They  teach  their  little  ones  to  worship  these  in 
the  homes  and  in  the  temples.  They  are  zealous 
in  worshipping  the  idols  to  prevent  bad  luck  and 
sickness  in  the  homes. 

These  women  have  many  sorrows  by  reason  of 
idolatry  and  ignorance.  They  have  the  same 
anxiety  about  their  children  and  homes  that  the 
women  of  other  lands  have.  Superstition  and  igno- 
rance add  to  their  share  an  awful  burden.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  agony  which  I  saw  on  the  faces 
of  two  women  as  they  approached  a  shrine  with 
paper  and  fire.  The  paper  was  burnt  on  the 
shrine's  altar.  As  the  flames  of  this  paper  lighted 
up  their  faces,  I  could  see  the  writhing  pangs  of 
sorrow  that  distorted  their  womanly  faces.  They 
took  a  child's  garment  and  waved  it  over  the 
flames  asking  that  the  demons  would  permit  the 


80  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

child's  spirit  to  return.  If  the  spirit  could  not  be 
induced — rather  the  demons  to  give  up  the  spirit 
— the  child  Would  certainly  die. 

The  favoured  Christians  of  our  own  country 
ought  to  give  the  liberating  power  of  the  gospel 
to  these  sisters  who  suffer  untold  sorrow  by  rea- 
son of  their  neglect.  Christianity  will  give  them 
blessings  which  will  brighten  all  their  days  and 
spread  the  glorious  light  of  hope  over  all  the  fu- 
ture. They  will  never  cease  to  be  grateful  to  us 
if  we  will  give  them  a  chance.  They  need  this 
chance.  If  they  fail  to  take  advantage  of  this 
chance  or  seek  the  passing  pleasures  of  the  world 
as  so  many  do  in  other  countries,  it  will  not  be 
to  our  shame  or  neglect;  but  if  we  fail  to  give 
them  the  opportunity,  they  cannot  be  free  even  if 
they  wanted  to  be. 

The  gratitude  of  those  who  learn  about  the 
Saviour  is  most  encouraging.  I  saw  a  mission- 
ary returning  from  the  United  States  to  her  work 
in  Shantung  Province.  As  she  approached  the 
mission  compound,  a  great  crowd  of  women  and 
girls  came  to  meet  her.  They  gathered  around 
her  and  sang  songs  of  rejoicing.  It  was  Indeed  a 
beautiful  sight.  I  feel  that  the  200,000,000  of 
girls  and  women  in  China  are  waiting  the  joyful 
message  of  salvation.  It  ought  to  be  our  chief 
concern  and  joy  to  give  this  message  to  them  and 
do  it  speedily. 


XI 

THE  CHINESE  AND  THEIR  WORST 
CLASSES 

IT  would  not  be  true  to  the  situation  to  discuss 
the  Chinese  as  they  are  without  teUing  about 
their  bad  elements — robbers,  beggars,  gam- 
blers, lepers,  etc.  The  Manchus,  who  ruled  China 
from  1644  to  1911,  had  a  form  of  squeezing  in 
government  which  encouraged  robbery  and  gam- 
bling. The  officials  were  paid  little  salary  if  any 
at  all,  but  they  were  expected  to  "  squeeze  "  from 
the  people  all  the  money  they  needed.  They  often 
used  very  cruel  methods  to  obtain  results.  They 
had  to  remit  certain  amounts  to  the  central  gov- 
ernment in  Peking  and  when  this  was  done,  they 
were  free  to  do  pretty  well  as  they  pleased.  Such 
a  practice  destroyed  confidence  in  the  officials  and 
government  and  made  the  people  resort  to  rob- 
bery and  gambling. 

This  explains  in  part  the  bad  condition  which 
has  risen  throughout  China  as  to  government. 
Good  men  rise  up  and  try  to  put  down  robbery 
and  gambling,  but  they  have  hard  tasks  because 
of  the  broken  down  consciences  of  the  people. 
The   mania    for   gambling    is    a   national    curse. 

8i 


82  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

They  use  every  method  conceivable  and  practice 
the  vice  in  public  and  private  places.  Great  sec- 
tions of  their  cities  and  important  places  in  the 
market-towns  are  devoted  to  gambling.  All 
classes  of  men  and  even  women  took  part.  The 
gambling  mania  produced  a  large  crop  of  robbers 
and  cut-throats  who  preyed  upon  the  public.  Sl\^ 
bands  of  the  robbers  pillaged  the  country  and 
robbed  towns  until  life  and  property  were  nPt 
safe.  Business  destroyed,  lives  disappointed,  Sdi- 
cide  and  national  weakness  would  follow. 

The  Ideals  of  the  present  government  are  far 
better  than  the  old,  though  it  lacks  the  stability  to 
enforce  its  better  aims.  Dr.  Smith  once  said  that 
a  bad  government  with  ability  to  enforce  its  laws 
is  better  than  a  weak  government  with  noble 
ideals.  Gambling  and  patriotic  officials  do  not  go 
together.  In  the  present  government  gambling  is 
prohibited  and  good  salaries  are  paid  the  officials 
— in  promise  anyway.  We  are  looking  for  rule  to 
be  established  and  better  conditions  to  prevail,  but 
there  has  not  been  made  great  progress  in  the  na- 
tion as  a  whole.  In  certain  sections  much  better 
conditions  prevail,  however. 

The  banditti  are  still  causing  much  unrest  in 
many  sections  and  worrying  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment In  dealing  with  the  needs  of  the  people  as 
well  as  in  her  efforts  to  protect  foreign  Interests. 
These  banditti  are  no  respecter  of  persons.  We 
thought  in  the  past  that  foreigners  were  safe,  but 


A  Christian  whose  brother  was  a  leper.     He  himself  was  a 

MONK  FOR  years.      HiS  MOTHER  WAS  A  WOMAN  OF  BAD  CHAR- 
ACTER. 


THE  WORST  CLASSES  83 

this  is  no  longer  true.  I  have  had  a  number  of 
experiences  with  them.  I  have  been  robbed  twice 
of  all  I  had  and  partly  robbed  two  other  times. 
The  first  time  the  robbers  came  to  a  Chinese  boat 
about  midnight  and  took  all  we  had — Chinese  and 
foreigners.  The  second  time  we  were  travelling 
across  the  mountains  and  we  were  attacked  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Foreigners  need  to  learn  how  to  treat  robbers. 
If  we  will  observe  the  laws  of  the  banditti,  we 
will  be  able  to  escape  the  evils  of  robbing  that  pre- 
vail in  the  West.  The  Chinese  robbers  are  not 
likely  to  do  you  any  bodily  harm  if  you  do  not 
make  fight.  It  is  very  unwise  to  resist  them  in 
the  least  or  show  any  desire  to  do  this.  If  you 
do,  they  will  kill  you;  but  if  not,  they  will  let  you 
alone  except  take  the  things  or  money.  A  num- 
ber of  foreigners  have  been  killed,  but  always  be- 
cause they  resisted  or  the  robbers  were  afraid 
they  would  resist.  I  never  go  armed  and  do  not 
want  to  make  the  impression  I  can  or  will  resist. 
They  have  some  heart  left  anyway.  When  I  was 
robbed  the  first  time,  it  was  winter  time.  They 
took  about  all  my  clothes,  but  left  me  a  quilt. 
They  are  supposed  to  leave  you  at  least  one  thing. 
You  are  permitted  to  make  a  request  as  to  what 
this  will  be,  yet  they  reserve  the  right  to  reject 
your  request. 

The  robbers  are  well  organized  into  guilds. 
The  head  of  the  bands  may  be  highly  educated  or 


84  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ABB 

an  ex-captain  of  soldiers.  In  fact  the  soldiers  and 
robbers  are  very  closely  connected  in  many  places. 
Some  of  the  leading  men  were  formerly  leaders 
of  these  bands,  but  became  tired  of  this  kind  of 
life  and  have  become  loyal  to  the  government. 
The  Chinese  government  often  shows  a  mercy  in 
dealing  with  those  who  wish  to  change  their  lives 
that  encourages  others  to  turn  from  lives  of  crime 
to  loyal  citizenship.  Christianity  has  done  a  real 
service  to  China  in  making  good,  loyal  citizens  out 
of  a  number  of  robbers. 

The  beggars  form  a  large  class.  They  are  seen 
in  crowds  in  the  great  cities.  They  are  in  all  kinds 
of  places  and  conditions,  wrecks  of  human  beings 
with  unsightly  forms  that  remind  us  how  low  hu- 
man beings  can  become  when  all  their  ambition 
and  hope  are  gone.  These  beggars  also  organize 
and  have  their  headmen.  Begging  is  a  business. 
The  one  who  begs  receives  a  part  of  one's  gain, 
yet  the  corporation  who  sends  one  out  gets  the 
other  part.  Many  beggars,  however,  are  helpless 
and  worthy  of  pity,  yet  if  we  help  one,  hundreds 
may  understand  and  crowd  our  homes. 

Another  class  that  makes  our  hearts  bleed  with 
pity  are  the  unfortunate  ones  with  incurable  dis- 
eases which  have  caused  their  family  and  clan  to 
cast  them  out.  The  lepers  and  sometimes  the 
blind  and  sick  with  other  incurable  diseases  form 
this  class.  It  is  indeed  large  and  appeals  to  every 
humane  instinct  of  our  souls. 


THE  WOEST  CLASSES  85 

These  classes  are  a  great  burden  to  society. 
The  humane  principles  of  Christianity  will  over- 
come such  classes,  but  these  must  pervade  society 
first.  The  missionary  shows  the  worth  of  all  hu- 
man beings,  and  this  becomes  the  foundation  of 
meeting  the  needs  of  all  classes.  Buddhism  and 
Confucianism  with  Taoism  offer  certain  merits  to 
those  who  will  help  others,  but  these  religions  or 
teachings  do  not  reach  the  foundation  and  show 
love  and  pity  for  human  souls  because  these  are 
eternal  and  need  our  help.  The  mission  interests 
have  started  many  eleemosynary  institutions,  and 
these  have  encouraged  the  Chinese  to  aid  nobly  in 
this  kind  of  work.  Only  last  year  Dr.  Wu  Ting 
Fang  gave  five  thousand  dollars  to  help  lepers  in 
the  city  of  Canton,  and  the  Chinese  government 
furnished  land  for  the  leper  home,  yet  back  of 
these  gifts  from  the  Chinese  were  a  missionary 
and  his  wife  who  had  in  their  hearts  the  prompt- 
ing— **' constraining '* — love  of  Christ  to  inaugu- 
rate the  enterprise. 

These  eleemosynary  institutions  do  far  more 
than  helping  the  unfortunate  ones.  They  are  well 
worth  while  for  this  purpose;  but  they  reveal  the 
love  of  the  Father  for  wayward  lives  and  show 
to  all  classes  that  the  worth  of  any  nation  must  be 
determined  by  the  way  she  treats  her  children.  If 
we  are  to  have  great  nations,  we  must  have  great 
ideals  of  common  brotherhood  and  family  inter- 
ests.   For  one  to  suffer  all  will  be  more  or  less 


86  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

touched  and  all  may  be  seriously  affected.  Chris- 
tianity has  brought  a  great  truth  to  the  Orientals 
in  revealing  this  fact.  When  I  reached  China 
twenty  years  ago,  many  officials  thought  it  to  their 
credit  to  report  that  they  had  beheaded  great  num- 
bers of  bad  characters.  Human  life  in  the  hands 
of  the  officials  was  cheap;  but  now  they  are  tak- 
ing pride  in  building  up  society  and  caring  for 
human  life.  The  principles  of  Christianity  have 
helped  to  bring  about  these  better  ideals. 

China  has  in  spite  of  these  bad  classes  a  great 
wealth  of  human  life.  The  forces  that  make  for 
the  nation's  good  are  organizing.  In  the  new  or- 
der, no  doubt,  some  old  crushed  stones  will  need 
to  be  cast  aside — or  permitted  to  disappear,  yet  the 
hope  of  these  forces  who  love  China  is  that  the 
polishing  power  of  Christianity  will  remove  grad- 
ually the  causes  for  these  worst  classes  and  make 
all  into  useful  citizens  of  a  great  republic.  The 
opportunity  and  aims  of  the  world's  Saviour  need 
to  be  conserved  and  realized  in  the  faithful  la- 
bours of  His  children  to  bring  about  these  results. 


XII 

THE  CHINESE  AND  EDUCATION 

IT  is  a  great  mistake  to  think  of  the  Chinese 
as  uncivilized  since  they  have  the  oldest 
civilization  in  the  world  in  all  probability. 
We  can  go  back  about  five  thousand  years  in 
authentic  history  and  we  find  at  the  beginning  of 
this  period  they  had  a  form  of  writing,  domestic 
arts,  ideas  of  government,  etc.,  which  must  have 
given  them  the  highest  civilization  of  that  time. 
This  civilization  has  never  utterly  disappeared  and 
has  increased  for  many  centuries  after  the  early 
period. 

Education  has  played  a  large  part  in  the  na- 
tion's history.  Mr.  Julian  Arnold  gives  this  testi- 
mony: "  It  may  be  said  that  there  is  no  place  in  the 
world  where  the  printed  word  carries  more  weight 
and  influence  among  the  literate  class  than  in 
China  to-day.  China  has  always  venerated  the 
scholar  and  writer.  Literary  men  have  consti- 
tuted the  only  distinct  class  that  Chinese  ever  paid 
homage  to."  Yet  the  Chinese  have  never  had 
general  education.  Only  the  wealthier  class  could 
send  their  sons  to  school,  and  these  went  to  a 

87 


88  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

private  school.  A  few  picked  boys  were  educated. 
The  common  boy  had  little  if  any  education  while 
the  girls  had  none. 

Education  until  a  few  years  ago  consisted  in 
memorizing  the  ancient  Classics.  The  educated 
man  was  the  one  who  could  write  acceptable  es- 
says on  these  Classics.  Men  gave  their  whole 
lives  poring  over  the  sayings  of  the  sages  and 
seeking  to  interpret  these  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
great  scholars  and  obtain  degrees  in  the  great 
centers  of  learning.  The  ability  to  perform  this 
arduous  task  determined  the  scholar's  standing  in 
the  eyes  of  the  nation  and  his  fitness  for  official 
position.  In  the  great  Confucian  temple  in  Pe- 
king we  find  immense  marble  slabs  that  record  the 
degrees  of  the  honoured  ones  from  the  various 
provinces  of  China.  The  ambitious  student  of  the 
Classics  was  willing  to  spend  a  life  of  ceaseless 
toil  to  have  his  name  carved  on  these  white  marble 
slabs.  His  children's  children  would  rise  up  to 
call  him  blessed.  Each  village  and  city  prides  it- 
self in  the  number  of  monuments  standing  close 
by  the  thoroughfares  of  travel  erected  in  memory 
of  the  honoured  scholars  or  scholar  in  these 
places.  Their  memory  is  held  sacred  by  all  the 
people. 

The  Chinese  no  longer  turn  their  eyes  to  the 
Classics.  Modern  education  has  come  to  replace 
the  Classics.  A  young  man  to-day  must  study  in 
China  the  same  books  we  do  In  the  West,  and  edu- 


m 


■Jl  pj 

H    ^ 
^    I— f 


THE  CHINESE  AND  EDUCATION        89 

cation  to  him  means  much  the  same  as  it  does  to 
us.  The  change  from  the  old  Classics  to  modern 
books  has  not  been  made  long,  yet  it  means  a  new 
China  as  they  break  with  the  past  and  link  up 
with  the  living  forces  of  to-day.  Two  forces  have 
brought  about  this  change.  Many  of  the  young 
men  went  abroad  for  their  education.  They  re- 
turned with  new  ideas  and  ideals.  They  propa- 
gated these  in  the  old  soil.  Then  the  missionary 
brought  his  message  and  life.  He  started  schools 
where  the  young  studied  modern  books.  Many 
who  entered  these  schools  became  most  helpful 
leaders  in  all  movements  to  better  the  masses. 
These  two  forces  have  united  to  bring  about  a  new 
form  of  education  to  replace  the  old. 

The  Chinese  government  is  establishing  modern 
schools  from  the  kindergarten  to  the  university 
where  all  classes  may  attend.  The  government 
welcomes  the  aid  of  the  mission  schools.  The 
mission  schools  are  still  more  favourably  received 
than  the  government.  Great  crowds  are  seeking 
to  attend  the  mission  schools  in  many  of  the  pop- 
ular centers  whereas  the  government  schools  are 
struggling  to  make  their  way  to  the  front.  Fifty 
million  who  ought  to  be  in  school  with  only  four 
million  attending  reveals  a  gigantic  problem  need- 
ing all  the  help  the  government  can  get.  The 
Christian  forces  could  do  the  whole  of  China  no 
greater  blessing  than  to  send  splendidly  equipped 
teachers  to  help  in  the  solving  of  this  problem. 


90  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

These  teachers  ought  to  be  real  educationists  equal 
to  the  very  best  work  in  any  country,  yet  Chris- 
tian ideals  and  life  should  permeate  all  they  do  if 
the  future  education  of  that  land  is  to  be  useful  in 
saving  the  masses  from  the  culture  that  may  be 
their  curse  and  the  world's,  too.  The  Christian 
forces  still  have  the  opportunity  in  their  hands. 
In  the  Providence  of  God  we  believe  that  the  situ- 
ation continues  in  its  formative  period  in  order 
that  we  may  mould  the  youths  for  the  kingdom  of 
God.  To  fail  to  use  this  opportunity  to  train  an 
army  of  trusted  soldiers  for  helping  solve  China's 
physical  and  spiritual  needs,  we  will  pass  by  our 
brother  in  dire  need  and  leave  to  other  forces  to 
direct  the  New  China  which  Christianity  alone  is 
capable  of  transforming  all  forces  to  the  glory  of 
our  God. 

The  200,000  teachers  who  are  now  struggling 
with  this  gigantic  problem  ought  to  be  increased 
to  at  least  1,500,000.  Many  of  these  ought  to  be 
Christian  teachers  from  the  West  or  Chinese 
Christian  teachers  trained  in  well-equipped  mis- 
sion schools.  The  mission  forces  are  combining 
to  meet  the  task,  but  their  number  and  inadequate 
equipment  hinder  them  in  meeting  the  situation. 
In  a  tour  of  China  T  found  a  number  of  great  edu- 
cational centers,  like  Nanking  University,  Peking 
University,  Shantung  Christian  University,  St. 
John's  College  (University),  Shanghai  College, 
Canton  Christian  College,   Changsha  University 


THE  CHINESE  AND  EDUCATION        91 

and  West  China  Christian  University  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  great  institutions  uniting  their  forces 
to  produce  well-trained  workers  for  the  task. 
These  institutions  have  made  great  headway,  but 
they  are  not  able  to  solve  the  problem.  There  is 
room  for  all  effort  and  all  kinds  of  institutions, 
and  still  millions  and  millions  waiting  our  aid. 

In  my  tour  I  was  greatly  encouraged  by  what 
I  saw  at  Ginling  College  for  girls  at  Nanking. 
This  institution  has  been  started  but  a  few  years. 
It  began  with  very  little  equipment  and  not  much 
encouragement.  Its  growth  has  been  most  won- 
derful. The  whole  atmosphere  gives  one  the  im- 
pression of  real  college  life  with  dynamic  ideals 
bursting  forth  into  noble  life.  The  girls  are  act- 
ive and  happy  in  preparing  to  do  great  things  for 
their  country.  Their  willingness  to  seek  to  know 
the  real  problems  of  life  and  how  we  can  labour 
to  solve  these  for  the  individual  and  national  good 
was  a  most  hopeful  sign.  It  is  most  encouraging 
to  note  how  the  faith  of  the  few  who  began  this 
work  has  been  more  than  realized  and  large  gifts 
are  coming  to  make  this  school  one  of  the  great 
institutions  of  the  world. 

Other  colleges  for  girls  are  being  started  in 
China.  I  find  we  have  three  already  in  operation 
and  the  Shanghai  College  (sometimes  called  the 
Baptist  College  of  Shanghai)  announce  they  will 
have  co-education  commencing  with  September  of 
this  year.    The  Canton  Christian  College  has  re- 


92  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

ceived  a  few  girls  for  years,  yet  only  a  few.  Co- 
education will  come  in  China,  yet  we  have  to  in- 
troduce it  with  great  caution  and  many  safe- 
guards. 

The  influence  of  mission  schools  is  a  mighty 
force  in  making  New  China.  The  history  of  the 
new  nation  is  greatly  interlocked  with  the  mission 
schools.  1  could  mention  much  proof  to  verify  this, 
yet  I  will  note  only  one  institution,  St.  John's  Uni- 
versity, Shanghai.  We  find  in  the  "  Commercial 
Handbook"  this  information  about  the  alumni: 
"  Willington  Koo,  minister  to  the  United  States; 
Alford  Sze,  Chinese  minister  to  London;  W.  W. 
Yen,  formerly  Chinese  minister  to  Berlin;  Dr.  Y. 
T.  Tsur,  formerly  president  of  Tsinghua  College 
(one  of  China's  greatest  institutions) ;  Z.  T.  K. 
Woo,  superintendent  of  the  Hanyang  Steel  and 
Iron  Works;  S.  C.  Chu,  LL.B.,  general  secretary 
of  the  Shanghai-Nanking  Railway;  Dr.  H.  L. 
Yen,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs; 
David  Z.  T.  Yui,  M.  A.,  general  secretary  of 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  (for  China);  Mr.  Yen  Fu  Ching, 
dean  of  the  medical  faculty  Yale  College,  Chang- 
sha;  W.  Y.  Hu,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Appeals,  Peking."  These  men  show  the  influence 
St.  John's  University  has  upon  the  nation  in  all 
the  walks  of  life.  Not  only  have  these  great  lead- 
ers gone  forth,  but  there  are  many  others  in  the 
leading  centers  of  China's  political,  religious,  eco- 
nomic, intellectual,  and  social  life. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  EDUCATION        93 

There  is  one  school  in  South  China  with  rather 
a  unique  history.  This  school  is  Pui  Ching 
Academy  belonging  to  the  native  Christians  of 
Leung  Kwang  Association.  It  is  located  at  Can- 
ton, but  influences  a  large  field.  This  institution 
was  started  by  a  group  of  Christians  belonging  to 
the  Baptist  denomination  thirty-one  years  ago. 
Their  work  was  begun  under  the  most  trying  con- 
ditions, no  money,  no  hope  of  help  from  the  home- 
land, with  one  desire  to  have  a  Christian  school 
where  their  boys  could  receive  an  education  free 
from  the  environment  of  the  heathen  idolatrous  in- 
stitutions. From  that  day  to  this  the  school  has 
been  under  the  control  of  the  Chinese,  managed 
and  mostly  financed  by  them.  They  have  prop- 
erty worth  about  e$150,000.  The  board  in  the 
homeland  has  given  them,  as  straight  gifts  at 
critical  tim.es,  $12,000.  They  are  raising  funds  to 
enlarge  the  work  at  this  time.  The  amount  de- 
sired is  some  $200,000.  This  will  be  used  to  buy 
additional  lands  and  erect  needed  buildings.  The 
Chinese  will  raise  more  than  half  of  this  amount. 
In  their  plans  for  a  junior  college  they  will  need 
help  in  funds  and  foreign  teachers,  yet  the  gen- 
eral management  and  far  the  greater  amount  of 
money  and  man  power  will  be  supplied  by  the 
Chinese. 

Many  have  doubted  the  ability  of  the  Chinese 
to  manage  and  finance  a  Christian  institution  with 
its  chief  aim  to  produce  well-trained  leaders  for 


94  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

the  churches.  The  experience  of  this  school  has 
proven  they  can.  It  has  a  standing  by  reason  of 
its  grade  of  work  among  the  best  we  have  in 
South  China.  It  is  correlated  with  the  Canton 
Christian  College ;  graduates  from  it  will  enter  the 
College  without  examination.  They  have  won 
this  recognition  by  the  quality  of  their  work. 
They  have  a  student  body  of  about  five  hundred 
boys  from  all  classes  who  are  making  a  fine  record 
in  Christian  work  and  influence  among  the  leaders 
of  political  and  religious  and  educational  life. 

The  one  phase  of  the  work  which  has  meant  the 
most  to  the  school  is  the  fact  that  the  school  be- 
longs to  the  Chinese.  They  have  sacrificed  and 
struggled  to  make  it  possible,  and  this  has  given 
them  a  love  for  the  institution  that  is  worth  more 
than  all  its  property.  It  is  the  pride  of  their  work 
and  their  joy  to  labour  to  make  it  a  success. 
Their  splendid  devotion  has  made  possible  the 
financial  aid  and  grade  of  work  which  give  the 
school  its  long  and  encouraging  history  with  an 
ever-growing  hope  for  larger  and  larger  useful- 
ness. 

Institutions  of  this  kind  where  the  Chinese  as- 
sume the  responsibility  of  management  and  de- 
velopment reveal  to  us  the  possibility  of  the  whole 
of  China  being  reached  with  the  gospel.  We  do 
not  need  to  educate  the  Chinese  masses.  This  is 
neither  possible  nor  desirable.  We  ought  to  send 
to  aid  them  many  well-equipped  teachers  from  this 


THE  CHINESE  AND  EDUCATION        95 

country  to  help  in  directing  the  work.  Those  we 
send  ought  to  be  capable  of  becoming  great  leaders 
with  actual  or  potential  powers  of  managing  great 
enterprises  for  large  sections  of  the  country. 
They  ought  to  be  teachers  of  large  visions  and 
practicable  experience  and  unfailing  consecration 
to  the  task  of  our  Saviour.  These  labourers  from 
the  Occident  will  find  a  growing  army  in  that 
land  who  will  be  able  to  share  with  them  in  all 
phases  of  the  work.  Those  in  that  country  will 
know  the  situation,  their  own  people,  and  how  best 
to  adjust  all  things  to  accomplish  the  greatest  re- 
sults, and  will  gladly  join  their  lives  with  us  to 
make  the  whole  of  China  shine  with  the  knowl- 
edge and  power  and  life  of  Him  who  holds  the 
treasure  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  for  all  peoples. 
Their  help  will  make  our  gifts  and  lives  accom- 
plish the  most. 

The  immense  tasks  before  us  urge  Christians 
everywhere  to  lend  a  hand.  Great  colleges  and 
universities  and  lower  grade  schools  must  be  de- 
veloped. Large  sums  of  money  and  an  army  of 
teachers  from  the  West  ought  to  reach  the  con- 
flict just  as  soon  as  possible.  To  hesitate  now  in 
the  transitional  period  from  the  old  order  to  the 
new,  we  will  lose  the  opportunity  of  establishing 
the  educational  life  of  the  nation.  To  fail  to 
make  this  thoroughly  Christian  and  suitable  to 
meet  all  the  needs  of  the  people,  we  will  make  the 
great  failure  of  history.     The  Immensity  of  the 


96  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

opportunity  and  the  pressing  claims  of  the  present 
and  future  generations  require  that  we  rise  up 
equal  to  the  task  and  mould  the  leaders  of  the  fu- 
ture in  the  schools  needing  our  help. 

The  undeveloped  material  with  endless  possi- 
bilities of  power  for  the  world's  good  awaits  our 
sympathetic  love  and  divine  skill.  We  readily 
understand  that  those  who  guide  and  mould  the 
lives  of  the  little  ones  will  determine  the  destiny 
of  the  nation.  These  little  ones  cry  everywhere 
for  help.  The  whole  of  the  land  needs  the  skill- 
ful hand  and  compassionate  heart  to  make  of 
these  little  ones  great  leaders  for  the  making  of 
New  China.  The  Chinese  of  all  classes  welcome 
our  help  and  will  ever  count  us  brothers  if  we 
enter  the  country  with  the  right  spirit  of  service 
and  devotion  to  the  real  problems  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  society. 


XIII 
THE  CHINESE  AND  MEDICAL  SCIENCE 

IN  the  mission  work  in  China  we  endeavour 
"  to  follow  in  His  steps  "  and  preach,  teach, 
and  heal  the  multitudes.  No  one  can  labour 
in  non-Christian  lands  long  without  feeling  like 
Dr.  Wilfred  Grenfell  as  expressed  in  the  follow- 
ing: "Just  so  the  church  needs  'cranks/  like  Ed- 
ward Worcester,  whose  protest  is  that  the  interest 
of  mind  and  body  are  so  intimately  intertuned 
that  the  church  must  have  a  message  for  both  if  it 
is  to  reach  the  soul  in  its  apostleship  of  things 
spiritual."  The  medical  work  in  China  cannot  be 
overemphasized  when  it  is  properly  related  to 
"  things  spiritual."  The  Chinese  are  a  most  prac- 
^ticable  people,  placing  far  more  emphasis  on  what 
we  do  than  what  we  say.  By  going  about  healing 
all  manner  of  diseases,  as  the  Master  did,  we  re- 
veal to  the  eye  the  heart  of  love  which  sets  forth 
Christ  before  the  people  in  the  most  appealing 
manner.  If  we  will  follow  the  Master  in  this,  the 
common  people  will  hear  our  message  gladly,  and 
all  classes  will  be  able  to  see  the  blessings  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

The  lack  of  medical  science  in  these  lands  is 

97 


98  THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

beyond  our  comprehension.  William  B.  Lipphard 
in  his  '*  Ministry  of  Healing  "  gives  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  non-Christian  lands  as  to  medical  science: 
"  The  non-Christian  v^^orld  is  an  unspeakable  sick 
world  and  needs  relief.  Notwithstanding  the  re- 
markable efforts  of  the  British  government  in 
checking  the  spread  of  disease  in  India,  there  are 
still  one  hundred  millions  of  people  in  that  un- 
happy country  beyond  the  reach  of  even  the 
simplest  medical  aid.  Can  any  one  possibly  im- 
agine the  population  of  the  United  States  abso- 
lutely deprived  of  all  resource  to  medical  assist- 
ance? Ninety  out  of  every  one  hundred  people 
who  die  in  the  non-Christian  world  suffer  their 
pain  and  agony  to  the  end  without  any  attention 
on  the  part  of  a  doctor  or  a  nurse.  In  the  entire 
Province  of  Szechuan,  China,  with  a  population 
of  sixty  millions,  there  are  only  two  hospitals  for 
women  and  children  (all  the  more  pathetic  since 
women  in  that  country  must  have  separate  hos- 
pitals to  comply  with  the  customs — Author). 
There  are  a  thousand  walled  cities  in  China  which 
have  never  seen  a  missionary  physician.  .  .  . 
In  the  Back  Bay  district  of  Boston  one  can  find 
the  offices  of  as  many  as  fifteen  physicians  in  a 
single  block,  whereas  in  China  a  traveller  can  pass 
through,  not  fifteen  blocks,  but  fifteen  hundred 
villages  and  find  no  evidence  of  the  presence  of  a 
doctor." 

Several  years  ago  I  travelled  five  hundred  miles 


A      LEADING    YOUNG 

PHYSICIAN  IN  Can- 
ton,  AND  HELPER 

IN  Christian 

WORK. 


Dk.  Jew  Hawk,  Hongkong,  China.  A  western  trained 

PHYSICIAN. 


* 


% 


MEDICAL  SCIENCE  99 


er  the  interior  of  China  where  the  country  was 
densely  populated  in  many  places  with  cities  of 
over  one  hundred  thousand,  and  did  not  find  one 
medical  missionary  in  all  this  territory.  The 
people  clamoured  everywhere  with  all  manner  of 
diseases  for  our  aid,  but  we  were  powerless.  The 
country  was  beautiful  and  the  people  fairly  pros- 
perous for  the  Orient.  The  needs  were  appalling, 
as  could  be  seen  by  the  pitiable  sights  of  the 
maimed  and  suffering  who  greeted  us  at  every  vil- 
lage and  many  times  along  the  roadside.  How 
could  any  Christian  doctor  or  any  other  follower 
of  the  Master  pass  through  such  a  section  and  see 
the  people  without  any  resource  in  all  their  distress 
of  body  and  mind  without  being  "touched  with  the 
feelings  of  their  infirmities  *'  ?  I  cannot  conceive 
of  such  Christians.  How  long  the  Christian  phy- 
sicians of  this  country  will  permit  such  a  condition 
to  exist  we  cannot  say,  but  surely  not  long  if  the 
"  mind  of  Christ  "  is  in  them,  and  moves  them  in 
all  their  life's  duties. 

Sickness  and  disease  play  a  large  part  In  the 
life  and  customs  of  the  people.  Around  disease 
gather  many  of  their  most  distressing  supersti- 
tions. Before  the  child  enters  this  world  until 
generations  after  death  sends  It  to  the  grave,  we 
find  superstition  deciding  all  actions  concerning 
life.  The  mother  is  moved  by  superstition  In 
many  of  her  dealings  with  the  Infant  and  the  old 
of  a  hundred  years  are  placed  In  the  grave,  all 


100        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  AEE 

action  being  prompted  by  superstition.  These 
graves  are  cared  for  and  worshipped  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  by  reason  of  superstition. 

These  superstitions  greatly  affect  disease  of 
childhood  and  life  as  well.  If  a  child  takes  sick, 
and  ordinary  remedies  do  not  restore  it,  the  par- 
ents may  think  that  the  child  is  possessed  or 
claimed  by  the  demons.  They  must  give  this 
child  over  to  the  demons  to  prevent  the  angry  gods 
claiming  the  lives  of  three  other  members  of  the 
family.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  soon  after  we 
reached  China  and  opened  a  new  field  were  called 
to  see  an  official's  boy.  We  were  happy  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  reach  the  ruling  class,  thinking 
this  would  enable  us  to  come  in  sympathetic  touch 
with  the  people.  They  went  night  and  day  to 
look  after  the  sick  boy  and  were  hopeful  of  heal- 
ing him;  but  one  morning  they  returned  to  our 
room  with  sad  faces,  Mrs.  Hayes  telling  us  that 
they  had  seen  a  sight  she  hoped  never  to  see  again. 
The  sick  boy  was  cast  aside  as  hopeless,  left  to 
the  demons.  If  they  had  the  cooperation  of  the 
parents,  the  boy  might  have  been  saved,  but  these 
parents  were  afraid  to  offend  the  gods  of  fate. 

Many  similar  superstitions  are  found  all  over 
that  unfortunate  land.  Another  most  common 
one  is  not  to  permit  one  to  die  in  a  house  or  in  a 
boat.  This  will  bring  bad  luck.  I  recall  seeing 
a  man  taken  from  a  steam  launch  near  Canton  and 
left  on  the  river  bank  in  an  open  field  to  suffer  the 


MEDICAL  SCIBNCife  "  ' '  :  101 

rays  of  a  tropical  sun  in  the  month  of  September. 
He  was  left  to  die.  We  urged  them  to  take  him 
to  Canton,  less  than  a  hundred  miles  away,  need- 
ing only  a  few  hours  to  reach  a  missionary  hos- 
pital; but  they  refused,  saying  he  might  die,  and 
this  would  bring  bad  luck  to  their  business. 

Then  the  remedies  they  do  use  are  often  worse 
than  the  disease.  Medical  men  with  their  witchery 
and  enchantment  have  great  influence  over  the 
people.  No  medical  science,  but  many  crude  doc- 
tors with  all  kinds  of  remedies.  These  so-called 
doctors  thrive  mostly  on  the  credulities  and  super- 
stition of  the  people.  They  may  use  herbs  and 
certain  medicines,  yet  they  find  their  greatest  in- 
fluence in  magic. 

A  boy  has  paroxysm  due  to  stomach  infection. 
The  doctor  locates  the  trouble  and  seeks  to  bring 
relief  by  pouncing  the  abdomen,  and  the  boy  dies 
in  thirty  minutes  due  to  the  remedy  rather  than  the 
disease.  In  "  The  Ministry  of  Healing  "  we  have 
these  words  from  Dr.  W.  R.  Morse  of  the  West 
China  Mission:  "  The  Chinese  profess  to  heal  dog 
bites  by  writing  characters  on  the  wound;  to  heal 
sores  by  writing  characters  with  the  claw  of  a  wild 
beast  on  the  abscess;  to  cure  trachoma  by  making 
passes  and  reciting  charms;  and  to  cure  rheuma- 
tism by  drinking  monkey  and  bear  bones  in  wane. 
They  chew  the  bones  of  deer  and  dog  meat  for  a 
tonic,  swallow  a  stone  for  accelerating  child-birth ; 
and  eat  mud  from  the  center  of  the  fireplace  for 


102        TtK  CHINESE  A ?  THEY  ABE 

the  cure  of  palpitation  of  the  heart."  Many  other 
as  fooHsh  and  harmful  as  these  could  be  men- 
tioned, but  these  will  be  sufficient  to  show  how 
helpless  the  sick  must  be  in  the  hands  of  such  doc- 
tors as  these  in  China. 

We  rejoice  to  be  able  to  turn  from  this  dark 
picture  and  show  the  good  progress  of  medical 
missions  and  Western  medical  science  in  overcom- 
ing the  above  forms  of  medical  superstition.  We 
have  made  wonderful  headway  for  the  time  and 
effort  given  to  heal  the  people  and  enlighten  the 
masses,  yet  we  have  only  begun  to  reach  the  prob- 
lem. The  missionary  doctor  and  nurse  have  done 
more  to  show  the  spirit  of  Christianity  than  to 
heal  the  masses.  They  have  prepared  the  people 
to  understand  and  appreciate  the  work  of  the  mis- 
sionary physician  and  nurse.  The  first  mission 
hospital  started  in  China  was  the  Canton  Hospital 
opened  by  Peter  Parker  in  1834.  The  hospital  is 
now  doing  an  imm.ense  amount  of  work  for  the 
suffering.  It  is  supported  by  fees  and  gifts  in 
South  China,  only  a  few  of  the  foreign  staff  being 
supported  by  funds  from  this  country.  The  insti- 
tution is  one  of  the  most  powerful  factors  in 
South  China  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  people  both 
physical  and  spiritual.  The  last  report  I  have  gives 
the  number  of  treatments  in  one  year  to  be  50,000. 
They  are  training  Chinese  doctors  and  helping 
with  the  problems  of  the  adequate  supply  of 
Chinese   trained   nurses.      All   classes   are   being 


MEDICAL  SCIENCE  103 

helped  and  are  showing  their  appreciation  by  giv- 
ing thousands  of  dollars  to  enlarge  the  hospital  so 
as  to  meet  the  constant  growing  needs. 

The  Wesleyans  at  Fat  Shan  have  a  hospital  that 
paid  all  expenses  a  few  years  ago  and  had  twelve 
thousand  dollars  to  use  for  other  work.  The  Re- 
form Presbyterians  started  a  hospital  quite  a  dis- 
tance in  the  interior  from  Canton.  It  has  been  in 
operation  only  a  few  years,  has  paid  all  running 
expenses,  erected  the  buildings  for  the  hospital, 
and  the  Chinese  are  considering  giving  a  resi- 
dence to  the  American  physician  for  his  use  in 
running  their  hospital.  The  Southern  Baptists  at 
Wuchow,  Kwangsi,  are  conducting  a  hospital 
that  paid  for  all  running  expenses  three  years  ago, 
except  the  salary  of  the  American  physician,  and 
had  at  the  end  of  the  year  three  thousand  dollars 
to  apply  on  the  building  fund.  This  was  true 
three  years  ago,  and  the  hospital  is  ever  increas- 
ing in  patients,  last  year  reporting  forty  thousand 
treatments. 

Nowhere  in  the  world  do  we  have  a  greater  op- 
portunity to  help  in  medical  work  than  we  now 
have  in  China.  The  medical  work  in  many  cen- 
ters will  speedily  become  self-supporting  and  help 
in  the  evangelistic  work.  Many  cities  will  put  up 
the  buildings  for  the  needed  hospitals  and  pay  all 
the  running  expenses.  The  native  Christians  of 
the  Leung  Kwang  Association  started  a  move- 
ment to  build  a  first-class  hospital  in  Canton.    For 


104        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

the  first  unit  they  are  to  raise  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  government  gave  the  land  for  the  en- 
terprise. All  they  have  asked  is  that  we  in  America 
give  ten  thousand  dollars  and  furnish  a  first  sur- 
geon— they  will  do  all  the  rest  in  completing  the 
first  unit.  The  work  has  commenced  most  hope- 
fully. 

The  Chinese  are  capable  of  caring  for  the 
medical  work  and  will  do  so  as  soon  as  they  see 
its  usefulness.  These  people  are  fine  physicians 
and  nurses  when  once  given  an  opportunity. 
Some  of  the  very  best  hospitals  are  now  being 
conducted  by  the  Chinese.  Miss  Mary  Stone  has 
just  started  an  independent  institution  in  Shang- 
hai with  fme  beginning.  She  will  receive  help 
from  individuals  in  the  United  States  in  the  early 
building  efforts,  yet,  no  doubt,  in  the  near  future 
her  hospital  will  not  only  be  self-supporting,  but 
will  have  funds  to  help  in  other  lines  of  mission 
work.  I  know  a  native  physician  quite  a  distance 
in  the  interior  from  Canton  who  has  a  large 
medical  work  entirely  self-supporting.  He  re- 
ceived a  very  meager  education  in  Western  medi- 
cine about  twenty-five  years  ago,  but  with  this 
meager  knowledge  he  has  made  great  success. 

The  American  physician  can  do  great  good  in 
his  art  of  healing  and  the  nurse  with  her  tender 
sympathetic  touch,  yet  there  ought  to  be  to  get 
the  greatest  results  the  love  of  Christ  Jesus  for  the 
whole  man  dominating  all  their  action — physician 


MEDICAL  SCIENCE  105 

and  nurse — if  we  are  to  use  medical  science  to 
win  China  to  the  noble  life  we  have  in  the 
Saviour.  Of  course  we  should  not  lower  our 
standards  for  medical  work  in  the  field  of  sci- 
ence. The  object  and  the  results  encourage  us  in 
the  mission  hospitals  to  have  the  very  best  hos- 
pitals possible.  This  requires  the  best  trained 
physicians  and  nurses  and  adequate  equipment; 
however,  no  American  doctor  or  nurse  should  en- 
ter the  mission  service  unless  spiritual  results  are 
sought  with  joy  and  constancy. 

I  wish  to  emphasize  the  great  good  that  will 
come  to  China  through  the  medical  colleges  being 
established.  These  train  Chinese  doctors  and 
nurses  to  handle  the  work  in  their  own  country. 
The  Rockefeller  Foundation  and  others  are  doing 
much  in  this  way. 


XIV 

THE  CHINESE  AND  ANCESTRAL 
WORSHIP 

ANCESTRAL  worship  is  the  one  force  that 
has  done  more  than  anything  else  to  bind 
the  Chinese  together  during  the  long  his- 
tory of  the  past.  We  do  not  know  how  long  they 
have  worshipped  their  ancestors,  yet  as  far  back 
as  authentic  history  goes,  they  have  worshipped 
them.  How  much  good  this  custom  may  have 
brought  them  we  do  not  pretend  to  say,  yet  it  ex- 
plains much  of  their  history  and  accounts  for 
their  unbroken  family  chain  that  connects  the  liv- 
ing with  the  traditions  of  the  ancient.  Their 
most  sacred  memories  are  clustered  around  the 
graves  and  family  reunions  that  bring  the  way- 
ward far  away  to  join  those  who  remain  around 
the  family  tree.  Each  year  in  the  spring  and  in 
the  autumn  we  see  great  crowds  of  merchants 
and  travelling  men  and  labourers  returning  to 
their  native  cities  and  villages  to  have  a  part  in 
this  worship.  The  family  may  be  poor  and  unable 
to  have  meat  at  the  ordinary  meals,  but  saving  of 
months  will  provide  for  the  feast  at  the  reunion 

io6 


A   TOMB   or   ONE   OF  THE   MiNG  EMPERORS.      It  IS   50O  YEARS   OLD 
AND  LOCATED    NEAR    NANKING. 


ANCESTRAL  WORSHIP  lOT 

held  at  the  graves.  Here  pork,  chicken,  duck, 
beef,  wine,  rice,  vegetables,  etc.,  will  be  offered  at 
the  graves  of  the  ancestors  and  then  the  living 
will  feast  on  these  things — an  idea  prevailing 
that  somehow  the  departed  loved  ones  will  enjoy 
the  feast  with  the  living.  The  spirits  do  not  actu- 
ally eat  this  food,  but  they  enjoy  the  aroma  which 
is  the  elixir  of  the  spirit  world. 

This  worship  has  had  its  good  effects  as  well 
as  its  evil.  We  cannot  approve  of  such  worship 
in  the  light  of  Jehovah's  revelation,  yet  in  the 
days  gone  by  the  family  has  been  preserved  and 
many  ideals  created  and  related  to  the  present  by 
reason  of  this  worship.  Christianity  nowhere  per- 
mits the  old  crude  worship,  but  we  need  to  be 
careful  not  to  destroy  reverence  for  the  noble  past 
in  our  efforts  to  solve  the  problems  of  the  present 
and  the  future.  There  is  a  wide  chasm  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Chinese  between  the  East  and  the  West 
in  the  way  we  care  for  our  departed  loved  ones. 
This  ought  to  be  closed  by  showing  the  Chinese 
we  care  for  the  dead  in  the  most  practicable  way. 
Jesus  came  not  to  destroy  the  good  in  any  thing 
or  person,  but  to  make  perfect  by  removing  the 
error  and  revealing  the  fuller  truth.  He  will  do 
this  In  ancestral  worship  if  He  is  given  His  full 
sway  in  the  hearts  of  the  Chinese.  We  need  to 
make  this  possible  by  revealing  Christ  to  them  in 
His  fullness. 

We  cannot  do  this  by  ruthlessly  condemning 


108        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  AEE 

the  custom  which  has  meant  so  much  to  their  civi- 
Hzation.  We  need  to  handle  it  carefully  and 
cautiously  in  order  that  we  may  be  able  to  mani- 
fest not  only  the  truth  of  Christ,  but  His  spirit. 
We  have  the  custom  in  our  own  country  of  sweep- 
ing the  graves  and  planting  flowers,  making 
"  Decoration  Day  "  a  holiday  with  many  happy 
memories.  The  chasm  between  this  and  the 
Chinese  ancestral  worship  is  indeed  a  broad  one, 
yet  with  such  practice  we  have  the  basis  of  fellow- 
ship that  will  eventually  close  up  the  span  be- 
tween false  worship  and  the  true.  In  all  our  re- 
lation to  the  question  we  ought  to  be  careful  not 
to  offend  the  sense  of  propriety  the  Chinese  feel. 
If  we  do  much  trouble  may  come.  A  number  of 
American  young  men  were  surveying  a  railroad 
close  to  Canton  twenty  years  ago.  They  reached 
a  village  about  fifty  miles  in  the  interior.  As 
they  made  their  survey  close  to  the  graves,  the 
people  said  they  would  disturb  these  graves.  A 
mob  was  started  and  these  young  men  had  to  be 
hidden  away  and  escorted  out  of  the  town  to  pre- 
vent murder  and  international  complications. 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  overcome  the  evils  of 
this  custom  is  to  make  much  of  the  needs  of  the 
living,  and  show  how  the  present  determines  all 
the  future.  A  great  evil  of  ancestral  worship  is 
in  neglecting  the  living  to  care  for  the  dead.  Old 
men  and  women  will  have  to  toil  night  and  day 
for  their  living  while  the  younger  members  of  the 


ANCESTRAL  WORSHIP  109 

family  may  be  looking  after  the  graves.  The 
needs  of  the  dead  are  far  more  important  than 
those  of  the  Hving.  One's  own  mother,  old  and 
frail,  may  have  to  go  far  into  the  mountains  to 
cut  grass  or  labour  late  at  night  beating  out  rice 
in  order  not  to  starve  while  the  son  is  looking 
after  the  ancestors. 

The  graves  are  given  first  consideration,  not  the 
need  of  the  living.  I  found  in  the  most  densely 
populated  province  in  China,  Shantung,  where  the 
direst  poverty  abounds  everywhere,  that  much  of 
the  fertile  farming  lands  are  converted  into  grave- 
yards. The  reverence  for  the  ancestors  is  shown 
by  marking  off  a  section  of  the  field  for  the 
grave.  This  grave  win  be  located  there  and  then 
the  dutiful  children  will  erect  a  great  mound  to 
mark  this  spot.  These  children  will  die  in  the 
course  of  time  and  their  children  will  follow  and 
bury  close  by  and  erect  another  mound  which 
must  alike  be  held  sacred  and  free  from  the  plow 
of  the  living.  Much  of  the  valuable  farm  lands 
is  ruined  this  way.  In  other  parts  of  China  the 
hillsides  and  mountains  are  used  for  burying. 
This  will  not  interfere  with  farming  so  much  as 
in  Shantung,  but  it  interferes  more  with  mining 
and  general  improvement  of  the  country.  They 
believe  that  the  spirits  dwell  in  the  mountains. 
If  we  molest  them,  the  spirits  will  come  back  and 
bring  death  and  sorrow  in  revenge  for  their  neg- 
lect or  disturbance. 


110        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Much  of  the  ancestral  worship  Is  purely  selfish 
after  all.  They  do  not  love  their  dead  so  much  as 
they  fear  them.  They  are  afraid  if  they  do  not 
perform  their  filial  duties,  these  departed  ones  will 
return  and  punish  the  living.  There  are  certainly 
many  more  evils  than  good  coming  from  this 
habit.  It  has  done  much  to  weaken  the  national 
spirit  and  cause  the  people  to  break  up  into  clans 
which  are  interfering  seriously  in  establishing  the 
nation  at  this  time. 

Christianity  will  overcome  the  evils  of  this 
worship  and  liberate  the  people,  freeing  them 
from  the  burdens  of  a  dead  past  and  linking  them 
to  the  living  present  with  hopes  not  in  the  decayed 
past  but  in  the  unfolding  future.  This  has  ever 
been  true  of  any  nation  who  would  give  Christ 
first  place.  The  hopes  of  the  living  are  not  buried 
in  the  graves.  We  expect  the  glad  day  to  come 
when  these  graves  will  give  up  the  dead  and  the 
departed  with  the  living,  who  look  for  His  com- 
ing, will  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  and  will  dwell 
with  Him  forevermore  in  the  heavenly  city. 
Such  realities  as  these  liberate  the  gloomy  hearts 
of  those  who  have  looked  into  the  misty  past 
and  have  never  known  the  glorious  hope  we 
have  in  the  risen  Lord  of  the  dead  and  the  liv- 
ing. 

The  fruitfulness  of  Christianity  can  be  seen  in 
the  lives  of  His  children  in  that  country  to-day. 
They  do  not  fear  the  dead.     They  have  no  grave- 


ANCESTRAL  AYORSHIP  111 

yard  doctor  spending  their  money  to  find  a  lucky 
place.  When  a  Christian  dies,  he  is  buried  with 
other  Christians  in  a  sacred  spot  owned  by  the 
church.  These  graves  have  their  monuments  and 
are  swept  once  or  twice  a  year,  but  never  wor- 
shipped, 

Christianity  shows  its  most  wonderful  power  in 
changing  this  custom.  Idols  may  be  given  up,  the 
temples  may  not  be  visited  any  more,  incense  not 
burned  in  the  homes,  but  still  they  will  worship 
the  graves.  Filial  piety  is  a  duty  instilled  into  the 
hearts  of  childhood  which  lingers  on  after  all 
other  evil  forms  of  worship  are  given  up.  Then 
when  one  breaks  with  this  duty,  one  is  an  ingrate 
unworthy  of  clan  protection  or  respect.  The 
power  of  this  custom  may  be  seen  in  this  incident : 
the  wife  of  the  minister  from  China  to  England, 
Mrs.  Liu  of  Macao,  became  interested  in  Chris- 
tianity, Her  husband  was  educated  at  Harvard  (I 
think),  and  is  one  of  China's  most  noted  states- 
men. He  did  not  interfere  w4th  his  wife's  re- 
ligious life.  She  expressed  a  desire  to  join  the 
church.  She  said  she  was  willing  to  give  up  idol 
worship  and  every  other  kind  of  worship,  but  she 
must  look  after  the  graves  of  her  ancestors.  She 
could  not  give  up  filial  piety.  She  was  told  that 
the  Saviour  demanded  the  whole  heart.  She  must 
be  willing  to  give  up  all  things  if  she  would  be 
worthy  of  His  discipleshlp.  She  hesitated  quite 
a  while,  yet  in  the  end  gave  up  ancestral  worship 


112         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

and  has  become  a  mighty  force  in  her  city  for  the 
Saviour. 

If  we  could  but  see  how  Christianity  overcomes 
this  evil  form  of  worship  and  makes  the  Chinese 
free  and  hopeful  in  the  better  way,  we  would  find 
more  joy  in  giving  them  the  glad  tidings  which 
alone  can  make  them  free  and  joyful  in  the  divine 
hope  which  they  have  so  freely  given  them  in 
Christ  Jesus.  How  long  will  the  milhons  in  China 
turn  their  faces  to  the  shadowy  past  and  cry  in 
vain  to  their  ancestors  for  help  in  solving  the 
problems  of  the  present?  They  must  look  in  vain 
to  these  ancestors  or  maybe  to  things  more  harm- 
ful if  we  do  not  give  them  the  eternal  and  ever- 
present  truths  which  we  have  in  "  the  Ancient  of 
days."  He  stands  in  readiness,  a  loving  brother, 
to  guide  them  away  from  the  past  that  cannot  help 
to  the  Father  who  will  graciously  give  them  all 
things  to  enjoy  if  they  will  give  the  Son  the  right 
to  rule  in  their  hearts.  They  cannot  do  this  until 
we  reveal  the  Son  to  them.  He  must  have  our 
help.  We  who  know  Him  and  enjoy  the  priceless 
blessing  of  His  fellowship  and  power  must  co- 
operate with  Him  to  give  the  liberties  of  the  gos- 
pel to  these  waiting  millions. 


XV 

THE  CHINESE  AND  RELIGION 

THE  Chinese  are  a  religious  people  and 
have  been  from  the  dawn  of  history. 
There  are  no  young  men  and  others  in 
that  country,  as  in  many  countries  of  the  West, 
who  do  not  worship.  "  No  Worship  Gods'  Socie- 
ties "  are  found  in  certain  sections  as  modern 
thought  advances,  yet  these  are  not  numerous  even 
at  this  time.  Worship  may  not  be  connected  with 
morals.  The  thieves  and  robbers  burn  their  in- 
cense and  worship  the  idols  as  devoutly  as  others. 
The  gods  do  not  demand  righteousness  and  holi- 
ness in  their  devotees.  Idols  are  seen  everywhere. 
Each  day  great  volumes  of  smoke  rise  up  from  the 
leading  cities  at  the  morning  and  evening  sacri- 
fices, coming  from  the  burning  of  incense  in  wor- 
ship. In  front  of  each  business  house  and  each 
home  there  are  shrines  used  in  worship.  The 
mother  as  well  as  the  old  man  with  the  little  chil- 
dren worship  morning  and  evening.  The  first 
and  fifteenth  of  each  month  and  most  of  the  first 
month  of  the  year  are  times  of  special  worship. 
They  perform  their  devotions  with  a  sincerity  and 
regularity  that  would  put  to  shame  many  of  the 
so-called  Christians  of  other  lands.  They  spend 
large  sums  of  money  in  worship. 

There  are  three  leading  religions  in  that  coun- 
try.    Taoism   is   likely   the   oldest    and   contains 

113 


114        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

more  of  the  native  elements  of  their  ancient  reli- 
gion, yet  it  is  crude,  full  of  superstition  and  cre- 
dulities that  have  their  origin  in  the  mysteries  of 
this  religion.  Taoism  had  its  beginning  in  China 
near  the  time  of  Confucius,  and,  no  doubt,  grew 
rapidly  as  Confucianism  spread,  since  this  mystic 
religion  met  a  need  which  Confucianism,  with  its 
practical  teaching,  did  not  seek  to  meet.  Both 
Confucius  and  Lao-tsze  lived  about  the  same  time, 
five  hundred  years  before  Christ.  Lao-tsze  taught 
about  the  Tao,  the  truth,  the  way,  the  path.  Tao- 
ism sought  to  give  light  on  the  mysteries  and  meet 
the  spiritual  needs  of  the  people.  Spirit  worship, 
demons,  fairies,  evil  forces  in  the  air  and  hills  and 
mountains  were  either  created  by  this  cult  or 
found  encouragement.  From  Taoism  came  many 
vagaries. 

Confucianism  is  not  really  a  religion,  simply  a 
code  of  ethics.  Its  teaching  has  done  more  to 
influence  the  Chinese  and  the  Orient  in  the  field  of 
ethics  than  all  other  forces  combined.  As  a 
teacher  Confucius  sought  to  impart  noble  ideals  to 
the  governing  class  and  give  practicable  knowledge 
to  his  fellow-men  in  all  their  earthly  relationships. 
He  was  greatly  admired  by  his  scholars  though  the 
officials  regarded  him  with  too  much  idealism  and 
dangerous.  He  referred  to  the  heavens  and  the 
Supreme  Ruler,  but  seemed  to  be  using  the  terms 
of  the  ancient  with  little  knowledge  of  these  re- 
ligious forces.  One  of  his  pupils  asked  him  to 
teach  them  about  the  Supreme  Ruler — the  heav- 


THE  CHINESE  AND  RELIGION        115 

ens,  but  he  replied,  "  I  have  not  yet  understood  the 
problems  of  the  earth  fully,  how  can  I  teach  about 
the  heavens  ? "  He  urged  his  people  to  look  well 
to  the  earthly  relationships,  and  leave  the  heavenly 
and  future  to  others. 

He  was  a  great  teacher  and  gave  many  fine 
ideals  for  man  in  his  earthly  affairs,  but  he  was 
not  greatly  concerned  about  the  divine.  He  was 
not  a  teacher  of  heavenly  things.  We  would  class 
such  a  man  in  our  day  as  an  agnostic  with  many 
noble  ideals  in  the  realms  of  ethics.  From  his  day 
to  this  he  has  been  the  Great  Teacher  of  the  Ori- 
ent. More  have  followed  him  during  the  last  two 
thousand  years  than  any  other  teacher  on  earth, 
even  Christ  not  excepted.  Almost  a  third  of  the 
human  family  has  accepted  his  teaching  as  the 
purest  ethical  and  most  practical  code.  Not  only 
has  China  done  this,  but  Japan  and  other  countries 
close  to  China  have  also. 

Although  he  never  sought  to  teach  religion, 
many  of  the  Chinese  worship  him  and  are  seeking 
to  get  him  accepted  as  their  divine  personage 
worthy  of  worship.  His  shrine  may  be  found  in 
government  schools  and  in  many  temples  erected 
to  his  memory.  Recently  a  strong  pressure  was 
brought  to  bear  on  the  government  to  make  Con- 
fucianism the  state  religion,  but  it  failed.  Con- 
fucius will  be  accepted  by  all  classes  as  a  great 
teacher,  but  the  masses  will  not  regard  him  as  di- 
vine except  in  the  sense  all  great  men  are  divine. 
He    cannot   meet   their    religious    needs   by   any 


116        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

method  that  may  be  used  to  force  this  on  the  peo- 
ple. 

Buddhism  reached  China  from  India  and  spread 
over  the  country  near  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian era.  It  sought  to  meet  the  rehgious  need  of 
the  people.  It  taught  concerning  the  horrors  of 
hell,  punishment  for  the  evils  of  this  life,  future 
life  directly  connected  with  the  kind  of  life  we  live 
on  this  earth,  rewards  for  merit,  etc.  Buddhism 
was  more  of  a  religion  than  practical  Confucian- 
ism or  superstitious  Taoism. 

This  foreign  religion  was  brought  to  China  by 
priests  who  performed  wonders  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Chinese.  These  priests  from  India  planted  their 
religion  in  the  soil  made  ready  by  Taoism  and 
Confucianism  • —  opposed  to,  but  supplementing 
both.  It  soon  became  indigenous  and  univer- 
sal and  has  remained  so  to  this  day.  This 
explains  its  universal  hold  on  the  Chinese  and  Jap- 
anese— -its  ability  to  adjust  its  message  to  the 
ideals  of  the  people  rather  than  opposing  the  pre- 
vailing religious  thought. 

These  three  teachings — -two  religions  and  one 
code  of  ethics — were  all  preceded  by  a  purer  re- 
ligion and  a  monotheism  that  reminds  us  of  the 
religion  of  the  Old  Testament.  This  ancient  re- 
ligion has  no  beginning  in  the  history  of  that  peo- 
ple. The  further  we  go  back  in  Chinese  history 
the  closer  it  approaches  to  pure  monotheism.  The 
great  scholars  of  Chinese  religions  from  the  West 
and  the  Chinese  themselves  many  believe  that  in 


THE  CHINESE  AND  EELIGION       117 

the  ancient  times  they  knew  and  worshipped  one 
God  and  He  was  a  personal  being  who  cared  for 
the  affairs  of  men. 

In  Peking  there  is  the  Altar  of  Heaven,  where 
the  emperors  have  gone  and  in  the  open  space, 
with  their  thoughts  heavenward,  have  worshipped 
for  ages.  This  beautiful  marble  altar  stands  there 
still  with  no  sign  of  idolatry — no  idols  were  ever 
used  here.  Dr.  Martin  has  this  to  say  about  the 
worship  on  this  altar:  "  The  Divinity  there  wor- 
shipped is  the  Ruler  of  the  universe,  and  the  priest 
who  officiates  is  the  sovereign  of  the  Empire. 
Like  Melchizedek  of  old,  he  is  the  priest  of  the 
Most  High  God.  .  .  .  The  cults  of  Buddha 
and  Tao  are  of  yesterday  in  comparison  with  this 
venerable  relic  of  a  purer  faith,  which,  in  China, 
has  behind  it  a  record  of  forty  centuries.'* 

This  "  purer  faith "  had  no  idols  and  knew 
something  of  the  One  God  of  all  the  earth  even  in 
the  early  days.  We  know  when  idolatry  reached 
that  country.  Rouncewell  Wildman  gives  this  In- 
formation: "  Wu  Yih,  one  of  China's  most  wicked 
emperors,  has  the  distinction  of  introducing  idols 
into  China  (b.  c.  1199-1194).  He  did  this  to 
show  his  utter  unbelief  in  God  and  all  religion. 
He  is  called  a  wicked  ruler  by  the  Chinese  for  do- 
ing this."  Herbert  A.  Giles,  a  great  scholar  on 
Chinese  religions,  gave  a  lecture  years  ago  at  Ox- 
ford, in  which  he  sought  to  give  the  exact  situa- 
tion from  scholarship,  and  in  no  sense  was  leaning 
to  the  missionary  propaganda.     He  makes  this 


118         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

significant  statement:  "Beginning  with  the  pure 
monotheism  of  a  personal  God  (which  history  re- 
veals in  our  first  insight  into  Chinese  life — -Au- 
thor) we  ultimately  reach  the  substitution  of  Con- 
fucius and  his  worship  with  almost  the  total  dis- 
appearance of  a  supernatural  power/*  He  gives 
this  as  his  opinion  "  from  a  purely  secular  point  of 
view "  concerning  the  conflict  of  the  religious 
ideals  of  the  people. 

Dr.  Giles,  in  a  scholarly  treatise  to  the  scholars 
of  the  West,  dwells  at  length  on  this  phase  of  the 
question.  I  quote  a  few  more  sentences  from  this 
treatise:  "Almost,  however,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Canon  of  History  (extending  back  nearly 
3000  B.  c. — Author)  and  before  there  is  any 
mention  of  Ti'en,  we  are  faced  by  another 
term,  which,  under  the  skillful  leadership  of  Dr. 
Legge  (is  revealed),  as  the  one  and  only  correct 
equivalent  for  '  God.'  This  (other  term)  is  Shang 
Ti,  meaning  Supreme  Ruler."  In  the  Canon  of 
History,  "  here  we  find  that  Ti'en  is  used  in  the 
sense  of  *  God '  more  than  150  times,  whereas 
Shang  Ti  only  about  twenty  times;  and,  in  the 
words  of  Dr.  Legge,  this  Supreme  Governing 
Power  is  understood  to  be  omniscient,  omnipotent, 
and  righteous."  Dr.  Giles  brings  out  clearly  that 
in  the  early  dawn  of  history  the  term  Ti'en  meant 
God  and  the  abode  of  God,  and  this  God  with  the 
early  Chinese  was  a  personal  Being  who  was  much 
concerned  about  the  affairs  of  men  with  many  of 
the  attributes  we  ascribe  to  Jehovah-God. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  RELIGION        119 

In  the  teachings  of  Confucius  we  see  remnants 
of  the  early  monotheism.  Bishop  Bashford  says, 
"  Confucius  beheved  vaguely  in  a  personal  Crea- 
tor, or,  at  least,  in  editing  the  Shu  Ching,  he  left 
untouched  numerous  passages  which  he  found  in 
these  ancient  books  relating  to  a  personal  God." 
Bishop  Bashford  has  this  to  say  about  the  philoso- 
f'J  pher.  Mo  Ti,  who  lived  about  the  time  of  Confu- 
cius: "  On  the  same  utilitarian  grounds  he  argues 
for  the  existence  of  a  supreme  God,  of  intelli- 
gence, reason,  and  love,  and  of  a  Divine  provi- 
dence ruling  in  the  affairs  of  men.  Indeed,  his 
arguments  for  Theism  anticipates  by  twenty-live 
hundred  years  the  pragmatism  of  William  James. 

"  He  (Mo  Ti)  comes  the  nearest  of  any  ancient 
philosopher  to  the  discovery  of  the  scientific  test 
of  trutli;  and  he  devoted  all  his  energies  to  pro- 
moting that  doctrine  of  love  which  later  was  re- 
vealed and  embodied  by  Jesus  Christ." 

Unquestionably  the  further  back  we  go  the 
more  evidence  we  have  that  the  Chinese  believed 
in  a  personal  God  whose  attributes,  in  part  any- 
way, were  common  with  those  of  the  God  of 
Christian  history.  Blindness  caused  by  the  re- 
jection of  the  light  they  had  and  the  introduction 
of  idols  removed  them  further  and  further  from 
the  true  God.  Idolatry  and  false  religions  occupy 
fully  the  hearts  of  the  people  at  this  time,  yet  we 
have  a  mighty  appeal  in  reverting  their  thought  to 
the  "  faith  of  their  fathers."  Every  true  lover  of 
the  people  will  do  this  and  seek  to  conserve  the 


120        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

truths  of  the  ancient  in  meeting  the  needs  of  the 
present.  A  people  who  worship  the  sages  of  long 
ago  will  greatly  appreciate  the  knowledge  of  the 
God  of  these  ancients  as  they  understand  that  one 
Supreme  Ruler  of  heaven  and  earth  is  their  God 
and  ours. 

We  would  not  destroy  their  devotion  to  the 
false  gods  until  we  can  reveal  to  them  the  true 
God.  If  we  did,  we  might  have  a  nation  of  ag- 
nostics and  infidels  as  we  see  in  certain  sections  of 
South  America,  Europe  and  Japan.  We  need  to 
turn  their  waiting  hearts  from  the  "  vain  idols  to 
the  true  and  living  God  "  who  is  ready  to  bless 
them.  The  situation  just  now  is  indeed  surpass- 
ing in  importance  and  most  hopeful  of  results  if 
we  are  willing  to  meet  the  needs. 

We  must  not  and  cannot  successfully  force  on 
the  Chinese  a  foreign  religion.  Christianity,  as 
far  as  it  has  gathered  through  national  contact  and 
Western  philosophies  and  become  foreign  to  the 
eternal  religion  of  Jehovah,  must  be  removed  of 
this,  and  given  its  original  setting  and  then  ad- 
justed to  meet  the  conditions  now  confronting  the 
people  of  China.  This  should  be  done  speedily 
before  the  restless  skepticism  of  a  blasted  faith 
throws  its  shadows  over  the  devotion  of  the  peo- 
ple. Happily  for  them  and  the  world,  Christianity 
can  do  this.  It  will  ever  do  it  when  willing  hearts 
go  as  ambassadors  to  live  and  labour  for  any  peo- 
ple's good.  The  whole  of  China  ought  to  be 
reached  with  the  true  message  while  their  hearts 
are  worshipful  and  ready  to  know  the  truth. 


XVI 

THE  CHINESE  AND  CHRISTIANITY 

HRISTIANITY  has  approached  China  at 
different  times.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
the  Apostle  Thomas  went  there.  If  he 
did,  his  uncertain  attitude,  no  doubt,  made  it  im- 
possible for  him  to  leave  any  lasting  results.  The 
Nestorians  crossed  the  mountains  and  commenced 
their  work  with  the  Chinese  in  the  sixth  or  seventh 
century.  They  made  great  headway  at  first,  espe- 
cially with  the  official  class  because  of  their  supe- 
rior culture  and  knowledge.  They  preached  the 
one  God  and  His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  gos- 
pel was  an  attenuated  one  and  failed  utterly  to 
overcome  the  idolatry  and  religions  of  their  day. 
Their  work  collapsed  and  disappeared  altogether 
after  a  few  centuries  of  remarkable  progress. 
There  is  nothing  left  except  the  Nestorian  Tablet 
which  briefly  records  what  they  taught  and  partial 
results  of  their  labours. 

The  Roman  Catholics  came  next,  reaching  there 
about  six  hundred  years  after  the  Nestorians  made 
their  first  appearance.  They,  too,  were  most  fa- 
vourably received  and  given  a  place  in  the  royal 
household  as  teachers  from  the  West.     Many  be- 

121 


122        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

lieved  and  entered  their  fold,  but  their  success  may 
have  been  their  occasion  of  boldness  in  demanding 
that  the  Decrees  from  Rome  take  precedence  over 
the  edicts  of  the  emperors.  This  brought  the 
charge  of  disloyalty  to  the  Throne  in  China  and 
the  believers  were  persecuted  and  martyred  with 
the  priests.  This  went  on  unrelentingly  until  the 
early  Catholic  efforts  were  practically  extermi- 
nated. In  1807  the  first  Protestant  missionary, 
Robert  Morrison,  reached  the  Orient,  landing  in 
Canton.  He  had  to  face  hostile  Chinese  and  un- 
sympathetic Westerners  who  were  there  before 
him  as  traders.  Since  his  day  steady  progress  has 
been  made  to  plant  Christianity  in  China.  Prog- 
ress was  exceedingly  slow  at  first,  but  with  accel- 
erating power  in  recent  years. 

The  Boxer  Uprising  in  1900  marks  a  new  epoch 
in  Christianity.  This  uprising  was  not  primarily 
against  Christianity,  but  against  foreigners  in  gen- 
eral and  especially  the  movement  to  partition 
China's  territory  and  grab  as  much  of  it  as  pos- 
sible by  the  contending  nations  of  the  West  and 
Japan.  The  Boxers  were  against  everything  for- 
eign, men  or  institutions.  Christianity  to  them 
was  foreign,  and  the  Chinese  who  believed  in 
Christianity  must  be  disloyal  to  the  ideals  of  their 
own  country,  hence  the  persecution  was  directed 
against  the  Christians.  Missionaries  and  native 
Christians  suffered  more  than  any  one  else  because 
they  were  located  in  isolated  and  unprotected  sec- 


^Hjl^^^mi 

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^^.^^-      ; 

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( ''  - 

^W^ 

^. 

^ 

D 


/^  2: 

^  <^ 

-  U 

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H    ^ 

il 

So 


THE  CHINESE  AND  CHRISTIANITY  123 

tions,  whereas  the  business  men  and  officials  from 
the  West  could  be  protected  in  the  foreign  lega- 
tions or  rushed  to  the  gunboats. 

The  persecution  which  the  Christians  had  to  en- 
dure was  of  the  most  testing  kind.  They  had  to 
renounce  Christianity  by  worshipping  idols  or  be 
counted  traitors  to  all  things  Chinese  and  worthy  of 
the  most  cruel  death.  We  rejoice  to  be  able  to  re- 
port that  the  Christians,  with  few  exceptions,  were 
loyal  to  Christ  and  stood  the  fires  of  persecution 
unto  death  before  they  would  deny  their  Saviour. 
It  is  estimated  that  upwards  of  twenty  thousand 
suffered  martyrdom  at  the  hands  of  the  Boxers  in 
the  most  cruel  manner  known  to  heathen  butchery. 
From  the  graves  of  these  noble  followers  of  the 
Christ  has  come  a  better  Christianity,  made  pure 
in  the  fires  of  affliction,  ready  to  have  a  larger  part 
in  winning  their  own  country  to  the  Master.  The 
onward  march  is  steady  and  most  hopeful. 

The  present  situation  of  the  Christian  forces 
ought  to  be  of  interest  to  those  in  the  homeland 
who  are  supporting  the  advancing  columns.  I 
give  the  reports  from  the  "  Chinese  Year  Book," 
1918.  There  has  been  some  increase  since  then, 
yet  not  a  great  deal  more  than  enough  to  supply 
the  vacancies  caused  by  the  troubles  of  the  West. 
These  figures  and  ratios  would  not  differ  greatly 
at  present.  This  autumn  ought  to  add  many  more 
missionaries  and  may  change  the  ratios. 

The  following  gives  the  number  of  missionaries 


124        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

in  the  leading  denominations,  counting  the  various 
countries: 

Anglican,  England  and  America 621 

Baptist  of  Europe  and  America 534 

Congregationalists  of  all  countries 284 

Lutheran  of  Europe  and  America 385 

Methodist,  all  branches 754 

Presbyterian,  including  all  countries . , .  943 
China  Inland  Mission,  including  various 

denominations 9^76 

Other  societies  and  the  remaining  de- 
nominations  912 

It  will  be  noted  in  the  above  that  we  have  more 
than  five  thousand  missionaries  from  the  churches 
of  the  West  labouring  in  China.  This  means  we 
count  the  single  ladies,  wives  of  missionaries,  doc- 
tors, and  teachers,  pastors  and  laymen  giving  their 
lives  to  make  China  Christian.  The  relative 
strength  of  the  six  largest  denominations  accord- 
ing to  the  missionaries  is  the  following: 

First,  Presbyterian;  second,  Methodist;  third, 
Anglican;  fourth,  Baptist;  fifth,  Lutheran;  and 
sixth,  Congregationalist.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  about  a  third  of  the  missionaries  are  con- 
nected with  the  China  Inland  Mission  and  other 
organizations.  Many  of  these  belong  to  one  of 
the  six  denominations  whose  records  are  given. 
For  various  reasons  they  have  chosen  to  go  as  mis- 
sionaries under  a  different  organization  than  that 
of  their  own  denomination. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  CHRISTIANITY  125 

A  comparison  of  the  church  members  shows  the 
following: 

First,  Presbyterian;  second,  Methodist;  third, 
China  Inland  Mission;  fourth,  Baptist;  fifth,  Lu- 
theran; sixth,  Congregationalist ;  seventh,  Angli- 
can. As  to  the  amounts  contributed  by  the  na- 
tives of  the  different  denominations  in  China,  the 
Presbyterians  and  Methodists  are  far  ahead,  their 
native  Christians  giving  about  the  same.  The 
Baptists  are  third,  yet  followed  closely  by  the 
Anglican  and  Congregationalist.  These  refer  to 
the  gifts  of  the  native  Christians. 

A  rather  close  investigation  of  the  great  centers 
of  mission  work  revealed  the  fact  that  most  of  our 
money  and  men  are  devoted  to  educational  institu- 
tions and  other  kinds  of  institutional  work.  Such 
work  does  not  mean  no  evangelistic  effort,  as  the 
institutional  efforts  may  be  directly  as  well  as  indi- 
rectly evangelistic.  However,  they  are  not  prima-, 
rily  so.  There  is  a  feeling  in  certain  sections  that 
we  are  emphasizing  this  phase  of  mission  enter- 
prise too  much.  I  visited  the  Shantung  Christian 
University  at  Tsinanfu  and  saw  the  Institution 
and  went  over  its  plans  with  the  president,  the 
Rev.  J.  Percy  Bruce,  M.  A.  Their  plans  include 
millions  of  dollars  and  a  great  foreign  and  native 
teaching  force.  There  are  a  number  of  such  in- 
stitutions in  China.  The  president,  however,  of 
this  institution  felt  that  they  had  asked  the  home 
boards  for  about  all  the  money  that  they  could 


126         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

expect  to  get  without  weakening  other  needs  of 
the  work.  He  thought  it  would  be  better  for  such 
institutions  to  have  separate  boards  or  committees 
in  the  homeland  who  would  make  direct  appeals. 
This  would  protect  the  general  evangelistic  and 
other  kindred  mission  work.  The  direct  appeal 
for  the  institution  would  receive  help  from  certain 
people  who  otherwise  would  not  give. 

One  of  the  most  hopeful  features  of  the  present 
outlook  is  that  the  native  is  becoming  a  great 
leader  in  spreading  Christianity.  Many  of  the 
outstanding  Chinese  Christians  are  conscious  that 
they  must  not  lean  on  foreign  countries.  They 
want  to  be  free  to  lead  in  developing  Christianity 
in  their  own  land.  Many  whose  sincerity  and  love 
for  Christ  we  cannot  question  are  restless  imder 
the  restraint  of  foreign  domination.  Everywhere 
among  the  ruling  class  they  are  met  with  the 
stigma  that  Christianity  is  a  foreign  religion  and 
under  the  control  of  foreign  nations.  Certain 
forms  of  church  government  lend  themselves  to 
this  accusation  more  than  others,  yet  the  desire  for 
native  freedom  and  initiative  we  want  to  encour- 
age just  as  soon  as  they  are  prepared  to  safeguard 
the  truths  they  live  to  propagate.  This  is  likely 
to  come  v/ith  a  great  people  like  the  Chinese  before 
we  are  prepared  to  believe  it. 

The  number  of  self-supporting  churches  where 
Christianity  has  been  established  any  length  of 
lime,  and  the  rather  national  movement  on  the 


THE  CHINESE  AND  CHRISTIANITY  127 

part  of  certain  Christian  leaders  to  enter  new  fields 
speak  of  that  longed-for  day  when  the  natives 
will  assume  far  the  larger  burdens  of  the  work. 
Christianity  can  never  receive  the  support  of  the 
leading  Chinese  until  it  is  recognized  as  their  re- 
ligion. The  masses  will  reject  the  message  as 
long  as  It  is  clothed  in  forms  of  Western  thought 
and  life.  The  pride  and  self-respect  of  a  people 
of  great  history  must  make  this  true.  It  is  not 
the  poverty  of  the  people  that  prevents  the  self- 
support  as  much  as  we  might  think.  They  have  al- 
ways supported  Buddhism  and  every  other  form 
of  religion  which  costs  as  much  or  more  than 
Christianity  would  cost  them.  More  depends  on 
making  Christianity  theirs  and  their  willingness  to 
assume  responsibility  for  its  spread  and  upkeep. 

Another  hopeful  thing  is  that  Christianity  Is 
reaching  the  better  classes.  In  the  early  efforts 
results  were  confined  mostly  to  the  lower  classes, 
but  this  is  not  true  at  this  time.  The  Chief  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  in  South  China  is  a  very 
fine  Christian.  Mr.  C.  T.  Wang,  who  was  China's 
most  aggressive  envoy  at  the  Peace  Conference  In 
Europe,  Is  an  outstanding  Christian  character. 
The  Superintendent  of  Education  In  Kwangtung 
Province  was  recently  baptized.  The  Mayor  of 
the  great  city  of  Canton  Is  a  Christian  brother. 
The  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs  In  South  China 
Is  a  minister  and  very  active  In  the  Lord's  work, 
and  has  been  for  years.     A  number  of  the  presi- 


128        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

dents  of  the  leading  colleges  and  universities  are 
Christians. 

As  in  the  early  efforts  in  winning  the  Roman 
Empire,  the  soldiers  are  having  an  important  part 
in  making  the  nation  Christian.  Rev.  A.  L. 
Warnshuis,  of  Shanghai,  gives  a  report  bearing  on 
this  phase  of  the  work;  "Last  summer  General 
Feng,  one  of  the  great  Christian  generals  in 
China's  army,  sent  a  request  to  a  British  mis- 
sionary to  come  to  his  camp  for  a  week  of  evan- 
gelistic services.  When  that  missionary  returned 
I  met  him  and  he  was  overwhelmed  with  his  expe- 
rience. He  said  he  left  a  thousand  men  ready  for 
baptism,  and  he  knew  not  how  many  other  hun- 
dreds asking  for  more  light.  A  few  weeks  later 
General  Feng  wrote  to  us  and  said,  *  I  want  a 
Christian  attached  to  my  staff.'  To-day  we  have 
in  China's  army  the  first  Christian  chaplain.  Last 
week  I  picked  up  the  Christian  Intelligencer  and 
read  there  one  of  the  first  letters  that  chaplain 
wrote.  In  the  first  paragraph  of  that  letter  he 
said,  *  Last  Sunday  I  baptized  six  hundred  sol- 
diers.'    This  in  the  army  of  China." 

This  general  was  not  satisfied  for  his  men  only 
to  have  the  gospel.  He  paid  the  expenses  of  a 
lady  missionary  to  come  and  win  the  wives  to 
Christ.  Just  before  I  left  China  I  was  helping  in 
a  baptizing.  We  had  received  a  captain  for  bap- 
tism. Just  before  he  was  to  be  baptized  he  asked 
us  to  wait  a  short  while.     He  turned  his  face  to- 


THE  CHINESE  AND  CHEISTIANITT  129 

wards  the  heavenly  Father  and  prayed  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  might  descend  on  him  as  He  did  on 
the  Lord  when  He  was  baptized.  Such  men  will 
be  a  great  power  in  winning  their  soldiers  to  the 
Saviour. 

The  governors  of  Kwangtung  Province  (Can- 
ton) for  years  have  been  very  friendly  to  Christi- 
anity. Five  years  ago  the  governor  visited  many 
of  the  Christian  schools  and  made  presents  to  the 
graduates,  commending  their  work  most  highly. 
He  gave  a  reception  at  the  end  of  the  school  year 
to  the  missionaries.  His  band  furnished  music, 
the  Chinese  ladies  served  tea,  cakes  and  ice-cream, 
and  the  governor  in  person  received  the  guests  and 
praised  their  noble  work.  The  man  who  followed 
him  gave  large  sums  of  money  to  the  mission  work. 
The  present  governor  during  the  last  few  months 
attended  a  series  of  evangelistic  services  in  Canton 
and  manifested  great  interest  personally.  The 
head  police  in  Canton  is  active  in  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
work. 

I  would  not  make  the  impression  by  these  facts 
that  the  whole  of  China  is  rushing  to  the  churches. 
The  real  situation,  we  need  to  understand,  is  that 
Christianity  is  being  favourably  considered  by 
many  of  the  leaders.  It  is  the  psychological  time 
to  press  forward  in  the  work.  This  friendly  con- 
dition will  not  remain  if  w^e  do  not  give  them  the 
blessings  of  Christianity.  All  classes  are  becom- 
ing more  friendly  and  welcome  the  messenger  and 


130         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

are  ready  to  hear  what  he  has  to  say.  Great  evan- 
gelistic services  are  being  held.  Hundreds,  and 
even  thousands,  are  attending  and  expressing  a  de- 
sire to  follow  the  Lord  and  know  Him  in  His  sav- 
ing grace.  These  all  will  not  accept  Him  fully, 
but  many  will  if  we  have  the  men  and  women 
ready  to  lead  them  into  the  full  light  of  the  gospel. 
The  student  leaders  and  reformers  in  the  new 
government  are  the  most  friendly  and  the  most 
hopeful,  yet  all  classes  are  showing  signs  of  awak- 
ening wherever  the  gospel  has  been  preached. 
The  business  class  is  very  hopeful  and  friendly 
indeed.  Then  the  middle  class,  as  in  other  coun- 
tries, is  the  foundation  of  much  of  our  work,  yet 
the  lower  class  is  being  reached  and  the  fruits  of 
the  gospel  with  these  are  most  marked  and  readily 
comprehended  by  all  classes.  Yes,  all  classes  are 
ready  to  hear  if  we  are  ready  to  impart  the  truths 
of  our  Lord  and  Master. 


XVII 

THE  CHINESE  AND  MISSIONS— OPEN- 
ING NEW  WORK 

ALTHOUGH  the  first  missionary  started 
work  in  China  114  years  ago,  we  have 
had  a  desultory  warfare.  The  great 
mass  of  the  people  remain  as  though  no  mission- 
ary ever  reached  their  shores.  During  the  first 
hundred  years  we  won  a  few  tens  of  thousands. 
Even  at  this  time  we  have  only  about  five  hundred 
thousand  Protestant  church  members.  The  Cath- 
olics, who  reached  China  hundreds  of  years  before 
the  arrival  of  Robert  Morrison,  claim  two  to  three 
million  adherents,  yet  they  count  the  family,  no 
doubt,  in  their  reckoning  rather  than  those  who 
have  definitely  comm.itted  themselves  to  the  Catho- 
lic church.  The  Mohammedans  claim  between  ten 
and  fifteen  millions,  living  mostly  in  the  south- 
west. Even  counting  these  China  still  remains  a 
land  without  much  religious  influence  from  with- 
out unless  we  count  Buddhism  a  foreign  religion, 
but  the  Chinese  do  not  count  it  as  such,  since  it 
has  become  indigenous  to  their  coimtry. 

Christianity  has  reached  a  number  of  the  great 


132         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

centers  and  thoroughfares  of  trade  and  poHtical 
life,  but  the  whole  of  the  nation  remains  very 
much  as  it  has  been  for  the  centuries.  In  reaching 
the  centers  we  did  well  in  the  beginning,  but  the 
time  has  come  when  we  must  "  launch  into  the 
deep  and  make  a  great  haul."  Since  about  ninety- 
five  per  cent,  of  Chinese  millions  live  in  towns  and 
villages  with  less  than  30,000  population,  the  time 
ought  to  come  shortly  when  we  will  seek  to  reach 
the  great  untouched  sections  in  these  smaller  towns 
and  villages  with  an  adequate  force.  In  the  past 
we  have  sought  to  reach  these  through  the  larger 
centers,  but  in  the  future  the  emphasis  will  be 
placed  where  the  great  majority  of  the  people  live. 

To  do  this  we  shall  need  to  open  many  new  cen- 
ters. In  order  that  we  may  understand  how  new 
work  IS  opened,  I  thought  I  would  give  an  account 
of  the  beginning  of  a  new  station  in  one  of  the 
South  China  fields,  known  as  the  Hak-ka  field. 

Nineteen  years  ago  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  and 
Mrs.  Saunders  and  myself  were  chosen  by  the 
older  missionaries  in  Canton  to  start  a  new  station 
where  foreigners  had  never  lived.  We  had  been 
in  China  less  than  ten  months,  knew  but  little 
about  the  language  and  the  people.  We  asked  the 
older  ones  what  we  should  do  as  to  customs,  eta 
They  wisely  refrained  from  giving  advice  but  to 
our  sorrow.  They  did  say  we  needed  to  trust  the 
Lord,  use  common  sense,  and  do  the  best  we  could. 
We  first  rented  a  Chinese  house  in  the  heart  of  the 


3 
O 


r. 


'ji 


o 
z; 

o 


THE  CHINESE  AND  MISSIONS        133 

city.  This  house  was  surrounded  on  three  sides 
by  other  Chinese  houses  with  no  space  between. 
We  had  one  entrance  at  the  front,  where  we  came 
into  an  open  court  and  small  side  rooms  opening 
into  this  court.  Into  these  places  we  went  to  live. 
No  windows  letting  in  fresh  air  except  one  in  the 
roof,  and  this  had  to  be  closed  much  of  the  time 
because  of  the  rain  and  the  cold. 

The  Chinese  were  afraid  of  us,  and  we  were  of 
them.  They  thought  we  were  sent  by  our  govern- 
ment to  spy  out  their  country  and  get  the  gold  and 
silver  in  the  mountains  and  report  conditions  to 
our  people  who  wanted  to  exploit  their  country. 
Some  of  the  foreigners  whom  they  knew  about 
had  come  to  China  for  these  purposes.  They  would 
not  rent  us  a  dispensary  and  chapel  at  first.  Dr. 
Hayes  had  his  dispensary  in  our  "  hired  house  " 
and  the  dispensary  room  was  used  also  for  a 
chapel.  No  one  would  dare  sell  land  to  us — this 
might  have  meant  death.  We  would  walk  the 
streets  and  into  the  market  towns  in  the  country 
and  great  crowds  would  follow  us.  If  we  went 
out  by  the  riverside  to  get  fresh  air  we  found  they 
were  also  following  us. 

One  missionary  had  laboured  in  this  field  for 
two  years  before  we  sought  to  live  in  that  section, 
but  he  had  remained  in  Canton  as  his  home. 
However,  soon  after  we  went  to  our  home  in  the 
Chinese  house,  he  married  a  lady  from  Indiana 
and  they  came  to  live  with  us  in  the  same  house — 


134         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

three  families,  yet  not  suitable  for  one,  but  we  In 
spite  of  these  hardships  commenced  the  language 
study  and  the  work  of  preparation  with  great  joy 
and  enthusiasm.  As  a  rule,  during  these  first 
years,  we  gave  from  four  to  six  hours  each  day  to 
language  study.  It  was  not  trying.  The  joy  of 
anticipating  the  hour  v/hen  we  could  speak  to  these 
who  never  had  known  the  glad  tidings,  filled  each 
day  with  wonderful  hope  and  assurance  in  the 
Lord. 

Each  morning  we  had  our  private  devotions, 
breakfast,  then  prayers  with  the  Chinese  helpers, 
language  study,  and  work  in  the  dispensary  and 
chapel  and  efforts  to  get  land  for  our  houses  and 
hospital  and  school  buildings.  We  spoke  the  mes- 
sage as  best  we  could,  yet  we  found  the  gospel 
tracts  and  Scripture  portions  were  a  great  aid  to 
our  poor  Chinese  In  getting  the  knowledge  of  Him 
In  His  saving  power  to  the  hungry  souls  waiting 
for  the  bread  of  life.  We  commenced  going  to 
the  market  towns  and  making  long  trips  to  the 
country  visiting  the  scattered  believers  and  bap- 
tizing those  who  had  trusted  the  Saviour.  Some- 
times these  country  trips  would  be  two  months, 
filled  with  active  preaching,  teaching,  and  planning 
for  the  work. 

Dr.  Hayes  was  soon  called  to  heal  the  chief  offi- 
cial In  the  city,  which  he  did.  The  Mandarin  was 
so  grateful  that  he  gave  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  two 
goats,  several  chickens,  ducks,  and  other  presents. 


THE  CHINESE  AND  MISSIONS        135 

which  they  kindly  shared  with  the  rest  of  us.  The 
people  began  to  realize  we  had  come  not  to  exploit 
the  country,  but  to  help  them  to  be  well  and  know 
about  the  true  God.  Our  physicians  (Mrs.  H. 
was  a  trained  physician  and  nurse)  had  great 
crowds  at  the  dispensary  and  were  called  to  go  to 
the  best  families  in  that  section.  This  removed 
the  prejudice.  We  were  able  to  buy  land  for  the 
needed  buildings.  Many  believed  and  were  bap- 
tized, several  from  the  well-to-do  families.  All 
classes  becam.e  our  friends.  They  called  us  "  for- 
eign devils  "  at  first,  but  they  stopped  this  and 
called  us  their  old  friends.  Even  travelling  men 
would  say  they  could  tell  when  they  approached 
our  place  because  the  people  would  not  call  them 
"  foreign  devils  "  any  more.  The  large  business 
firms  were  glad  to  help  us.  We  organized  a 
church,  erected  the  needed  buildings,  and  saw 
signs  everywhere  of  the  power  of  the  gospel.  The 
church  has  since  become  self-supporting,  the 
schools  with  constantly  increasing  numbers,  the 
hospital  built,  and  the  fruits  of  the  believers  shin- 
ing for  the  Saviour  in  this  and  other  places  with 
great  joy  to  us  who  had  a  part  in  opening  the  new 
work. 

We  often  wonder  how  we  were  able  to  meet  the 
problems  of  the  new  field,  winning  the  good-will 
of  the  people  and  accomplishing  so  much  during 
our  first  seven  years  of  service.  As  I  review  the 
beginnings  from  this  angle,  I  think  it  was  due  to 


136         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

the  fact  that  we  had  to  trust  our  Saviour  and  de- 
pend wholly  on  Him  for  wisdom  and  prudence. 
We  were  too  far  from  men  to  trust  them,  and  so 
ignorant  of  real  conditions  we  could  not  trust  our- 
selves. The  Lord  was  with  us  and  did  great 
things  for  us  whereof  we  are  glad.  We  shall  ever 
look  back  to  these  days  of  hardships  and  trials  as 
blessed  days  filled  with  His  presence  and  power. 
Trials  of  various  kinds  came,  but  with  Him  to 
guide  we  were  more  than  conquerors.  A  number 
of  those  whom  we  won  to  Christ  in  the  early  pe- 
riod have  become  outstanding  leaders  in  the  work 
of  to-day.  He  has  given  us  double  for  all  we  suf- 
fered for  Him.  To  Him  we  ascribe  all  praise  and 
honour  for  the  results  of  these  first  efforts  in  a 
new  field. 

There  are  hundreds,  yea  thousands,  of  places  in 
China's  territory  of  over  four  hundred  millions, 
much  like  the  place  where  we  started  this  new 
work,  awaiting  faithful  men  and  women  of  God 
who  will  go  there  and  start  a  new  work.  The 
Gospel  of  redemption  and  grace  for  every  need  is 
sufficient  to  equip  us  for  the  task.  We  need  the 
labourers  who  will  go  to  these  untouched  waiting 
fields  to  live  and  labour  to  reveal  Christ,  and  then 
the  people  will  hear  and  follow  Him. 


XVIII 

THE   CHINESE   AND    MISSIONS— THE 
COMPOUND 

THE  compound  represents  not  the  begin- 
ning of  mission  activities,  but  the  or- 
ganization and  development  that  ade- 
quately cares  for  advancing  Christianity.  The 
compound  is  the  land  and  buildings  used  for  this 
purpose.  We  must  have  trained  leaders  to  con- 
serve the  best  results  of  the  beginnings.  The 
well-equipped  compound  will  have  school  build- 
ings for  various  kinds  of  institutions,  hospitals, 
residences  for  the  missionaries,  and  other  needed 
buildings  for  institutional  work.  Many  com- 
pounds are  great  beehives  of  activity  for  the 
Lord,  famous  for  beauty  and  power  in  establishing 
the  Lord's  kingdom.  Every  traveller  and  student 
of  missions  in  the  Orient  has  seen  or  heard  about 
the  Methodist  compounds  in  Tokyo,  Japan  and 
Peking,  China,  the  Episcopal  compound  at  Shang- 
hai where  St.  John's  College  (University)  is  lo- 
cated, the  Union  compound  at  Polk  Hawk  Tung, 
and  the  Baptist  compound,  Tung  Shan,  both  in 
Canton.  One  of  the  best  known  and  most  beauti- 
ful and  influential  compounds  in  China  is  the  Bap- 

137 


138        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

tist  compound  in  Canton.  To  describe  this  will 
give  us  the  idea  of  compounds  throughout  the 
Orient  and  other  mission  fields. 

This  compound  is  located  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  city  in  a  new  addition  greatly  influenced  by 
Christian  work.  The  lands  belonging  to  the  Mis- 
sion Board  and  the  Christian  Chinese  amount  to 
about  twenty-five  acres.  The  buildings  and  insti- 
tutions are  the  following:  The  kindergarten  with 
about  sixty  little  tots,  the  lower  and  higher  pri- 
maries for  the  boys'  and  girls'  schools  with  five 
hundred  pupils,  the  grammar  with  prospec- 
tive junior  college  or  colleges  with  two  or  three 
hundred,  the  woman's  school  with  about  a  hun- 
dred, the  woman's  missionary  training  school,  just 
started,  patterned  after  such  institutions  in  the 
United  States,  the  Theological  Seminary  with  sev- 
enty-five preachers  and  colporters,  the  home  for 
the  blind,  the  orphanage,  the  hospital,  and  the  pub- 
lication society.  There  is  also  the  church,  with  a 
Sunday-school  of  about  a  thousand.  The  church 
is  self-supporting  as  far  as  the  pastor's  salary  and 
general  expenses  are  concerned. 

In  this  compound  leaders  are  being  trained  for 
all  phases  of  Christian  work;  the  minister,  the 
doctor,  the  Bible-woman,  the  colporter,  the  editor, 
the  railroad  man,  the  merchant,  the  farmer,  the 
Christian  layman,  and  general  Christian  worker 
for  both  men  and  women.  These  trained  leaders 
are  the  hope  of  the  work  for  all  future  time.     The 


z  t: 


5  z 


9X 


THE  COMPOUND  139 

literature  prepared  here  reaches  not  only  all  parts 
of  China,  but  Japan,  South  America,  the  United 
States  and  wherever  Chinese  are  found.  The 
work  of  the  publication  society  develops  the  Chris- 
tian constituency  by  furnishing  needed  and  whole- 
some literature  and  sends  out  the  gladsome  mes- 
sage of  redemption  to  the  millions  in  darkness. 

We  need  to  remember  the  compound  is  to 
"  teach  them  to  observe  all  things  "  after  they  have 
heard  the  message  of  salvation.  The  compound  is 
the  later  half  of  the  commission  and  opening  new 
work  the  first  part,  both  absolutely  necessary  for 
a  complete  program.  We  can  get  an  idea  of  the 
importance  of  the  compound  by  the  work  this  one 
does.  This  has  a  student  body  of  about  twelve 
hundred.  These  students  represent  Chinese  life 
in  its  most  formative  period.  All  grades  of  work 
are  done  from  the  joyful  kindergarten  to  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  and  highest  training  work  for  the 
women.  We  are  reaching  all  kinds  of  needs,  in- 
cluding the  blind,  the  orphans,  the  hopeful  young 
people,  and  the  plodding  advanced  student  seeking 
to  fit  himself  better  for  the  Lord's  work.  In 
many  places  in  China  and  the  United  States,  as 
well  as  in  other  countries,  we  find  students  from 
this  compound  or  others  who  have  been  influenced 
by  its  work. 

The  schools  on  this  compound  are  correlated 
with  schools  in  other  parts  of  the  city  and  the  two 
Kwang  provinces,  where  there  are  over  thirty  mil- 


140        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

lions  of  people.  From  these  two  provinces  and 
elsewhere  we  gather  the  student  body.  These 
learn  about  the  Saviour  or  more  perfectly  the 
truths  of  His  Word.  They  then  return  to  their 
homes  and  become  a  shining  light  to  reveal  Christ 
to  others.  It  is  a  power  house  for  our  God  send- 
ing its  benign  influences  far  out  into  the  needy 
places  of  the  earth. 

I  was  in  New  York  City  taking  a  meal  at  a  Chi- 
nese restaurant  on  Park  Row  near  the  foot  of 
Brooklyn  Bridge.  I  found  the  manager  of  this 
great  restaurant  was  a  subscriber  to  one  of  the 
publications  which  is  sent  out  from  this  compound. 
He  knew  me  through  several  articles  I  had  for- 
merly written  in  this  publication.  He  was  so 
happy  to  see  me  that  he  gave  me  the  very  best  in 
his  restaurant  all  free.  He  wanted  to  show  his 
gratitude  for  the  work  on  this  compound  in  his 
native  country. 

These  compounds  are  the  bases  of  the  Father's 
advancing  army  in  the  conquest  of  the  nation, 
training,  marshalling  and  unifying  the  forces.  We 
must  have  thoroughly  trained  native  leaders  to 
whom  we  can  commit  the  task  of  "  teaching 
others  also  "  who  will  go  everywhere  doing  the 
Lord's  work.  Without  these  great  training  camps 
we  can  never  have  adequately  trained  leaders  to 
supply  the  needs  of  the  churches  and  the  schools. 
As  much  as  we  need  to  open  new  work,  we  cannot 
minimize  the  importance  of  the  compound.     In 


THE  COMPOUND  141 

fact,  without  the  compound  new  work  would  be 
too  expensive  and  too  much  in  the  hands  of  for- 
eigners to  win  China  to  Christ  or  even  witness  to 
all  the  people  His  saving  grace.  These  com- 
pounds become  great  feeding  bases  for  the  native 
forces  to  whom  we  must  look  to  Vv^in  their  own 
people  to  the  Saviour.  Leaders  for  this  important 
task  is  the  great  need  of  all  fields  in  the  Orient  and 
all  non-Christian  lands  where  we  have  begun 
work. 

Christianity  in  these  non-Christian  lands  espe- 
cially must  be  developed  symmetrically  so  as  to 
meet  all  needs.  The  whole  future  of  the  battle 
depends  on  us  doing  this  well.  New  and  old, 
evangelistic,  medical,  and  educational  all  are  re- 
lated to  the  compound,  mutually  helpful  and  inter- 
dependent. 


XIX 

THE    CHINESE    AND    MISSIONS- 
METHODS   OF  WORK 

N  the  two  preceding  chapters  we  have  noted 
the  opening  of  new  work  and  developing  the 
army  of  conquest.  In  the  present  chapter  I 
want  us  to  think  of  the  methods  used  by  most 
missions.  Methods  ever  remain  important  in  the 
changing  conditions  that  we  face  in  these  non- 
Christian  lands.  We  are  fortunate,  however,  in 
that  we  do  not  need  to  transplant  Western  meth- 
ods into  these  lands.  It  is  never  best  to  attempt 
this.  It  may  do  much  harm.  A  missionary  will 
be  a  misfit  who  tries  to  do  this,  causing  unrest  to 
himself  and  others.  His  first  duty  is  to  learn  the 
situation  in  his  field  of  labour — the  Chinese  or 
other  non-Christian  people,  their  life  and  method 
of  thought — and  adjust  his  life  to  fit  into  these. 
If  he  fails  here,  he  is  doomed  to  utter  failure  as  a 
great  leader  among  non-Christian  people  in  the 
Orient,  and  I  judge  anywhere  in  the  earth  where 
he  labours  with  a  great  people. 

It  is  far  better  to  go  back  to  the  source  of  all 
truth  and  the  perfection  of  all  methods,   Christ 

142 


Q   « 

2  ^ 


::  ai 


5  ui 


o 

-;   < 

$  erf 

"   < 

s  "  pi 

-<  y  ^ 

^  =^  s 

z  ^  < 

^   cfi  W 

r-i   W  1-^ 

S   H  Z 

a  V2  < 


METHODS  OF  WORK  143 

Jesus,  and  learn  from  Him  in  His  touch  with  hu- 
manity, and  use  this  in  our  approach  to  the  prob- 
lems of  the  non-Christian  peoples.  It  is  always 
essential  to  be  true  to  the  realities  of  the  gospel  as 
revealed  to  us  in  the  life  and  teachings  of  our  Sa- 
viour, and  use  the  methods  suited  to  each  field, 
setting  forth  the  winning  power  of  these  essential 
truths. 

The  Oriental  brother  is  first  of  all  a  practical 
man.  It  is  worth  while  to  repeat  many  times  that 
he  learns  more  from  what  we  do  and  are  than 
from  what  we  say.  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  ought 
to  be  revealed  in  our  daily  touch  with  them  if  we 
are  to  lead  them  to  put  their  faith  in  Him  and  not 
in  the  material  things  of  mission  work.  Dr. 
Giles'  words  are  to  the  point:  "  With  highly  prac- 
tical nations  like  the  Chinese,  the  acts  of  human 
beings  have  always  been  reckoned  of  infinitely 
greater  importance  than  their  opinions.  The 
value  of  morality  has  completely  overshadowed 
any  claims  of  belief."  In  looking  over  the  New 
Testament  Epistles  we  find  that  morality  and  eth- 
ical teachings  formed  a  large  part  of  the  whole. 
Indeed,  the  practical  workings  of  Christianity  took 
up  far  more  space  than  the  theories  or  doctrinal 
statements.  In  the  early  work  of  any  mission 
fields  this  must  be  true.  We  in  no  sense  minimize 
the  verities  of  the  gospel,  but  give  due  emphasis  to 
the  fact  that  we  are  His  epistles  known  and  read 
by  all  men. 


144        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  AEE 

Preaching  the  gospel  ever  remains  the  chief 
method  in  non-Christian  lands.  We  may  go  to 
the  markets,  the  highways,  the  schoolroom,  the 
hospital,  the  church,  the  matshed,  but  proclaiming 
the  good  news  is  the  method  that  will  do  the  most 
good  to  needy  souls.  Evangelists  with  divine 
fervour  giving  the  whole  gospel  in  its  dynamic 
power  will  turn  weary  hearts  from  the  deceiving 
claims  of  all  else  to  the  outstretched  hands  of  the 
world's  Saviour  to  receive  and  bless.  With  the 
preaching  we  must  teach  and  wait  results,  yet  now 
and  then  we  find  -souls  ready  who  accept  as  soon  as 
they  hear  the  Saviour's  love.  We  may  have  a 
series  of  evangelistic  meetings  where  hundreds 
come  and  listen  with  joy  to  the  proclamation  and 
turn  to  a  native  Christian  for  further  knowledge 
of  the  truth.  We  may  use  the  schoolroom  as  a 
center  for  winning  the  lost,  yet  others  may  teach 
the  way  of  the  Lord  as  they  walk  along  the  roads 
or  sit  in  their  homes  or  places  of  business. 

We  use  teaching  as  a  most  effective  method. 
In  the  daily  touch  with  the  student  in  the  most 
wholesome  environment,  such  as  the  Christian 
school,  we  can  use  this  as  a  method  of  touch  to 
mould  this  life  for  the  Saviour.  Many  of  the 
schools  are  most  fruitful  in  reaching  the  lost.  The 
Christian  boy  or  girl  will  win  many  Individuals  to 
Christ.  The  schools  do  far  more  than  teach  the 
common  branches;  they  may  be  great  centers  for 
evangelistic  work.     Indirectly  the  schools  train  an 


METHODS  OF  WORK  145 

army  of  soul  winners  and  these  go  everywhere 
preaching  the  Word.  This  is  the  ideal  though  it 
is  not  always  true,  to  our  sorrow. 

Then  the  medical  work  is  a  most  effective 
method  of  revealing  Christ  and  influencing  lives 
for  His  kingdom.  We  rejoice  in  the  results  in 
many  of  our  hospitals  in  the  souls  saved  for  the 
kingdom.  We  can  think  of  great  sections  being 
blessed  directly  or  indirectly  through  the  art  of 
healing.  A  little  girl  went  to  a  hospital  in  Can- 
ton, heard  about  the  Lord's  redemptive  work  for 
her  and  all  suffering  ones.  She  soon  developed 
leprosy  and  was  transferred  to  a  leper  village  be- 
yond the  eastern  gate.  She  took  with  her  the  love 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  witnessed  to  His  love  to  the 
lepers.  Soon  forty  to  fifty  believed  and  were  bap- 
tized and  organized  into  a  leper  church.  A  busi- 
ness man  was  crossing  the  mountain  and  was 
caught  by  a  tiger.  His  comrades  rescued  him  and 
took  him  to  a  Christian  hospital.  He  learned 
about  the  Great  Physician  who  healed  his  soul. 
He  became  a  great  Christian  worker  who  won 
many  to  Christ  and  helped  start  a  number  of 
churches.  An  official  was  healed  and  gave  five 
thousand  dollars  to  the  Lord's  work.  Many  inci- 
dents of  this  kind  could  be  mentioned  to  show  that 
the  doctor  and  nurse  in  their  methods  of  work 
bring  many  to  Christ. 

W"e  need  to  think  of  the  methods  of  Christ  and 
the  early  Christian  leaders  in  understanding  the 


146         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  AEB 

importance  of  throwing  the  responsibiUty  of  sav- 
ing the  lost  and  developing  the  churches  upon  the 
natives.  In  spite  of  the  weaknesses  of  the  first 
disciples  Jesus  did  this.  Paul  called  the  early  fol- 
lowers of  the  Master  "  saints  "  and  committed  to 
them  the  greater  burdens  of  the  early  churches  in 
the  worst  conditions  of  heathen  life  in  his  day. 
The  Chinese  have  a  far  more  highly  developed 
moral  character  than  many  of  those  in  Paul's  day. 

The  Chinese  have  always  had  great  love  for  de- 
mocracy, and  many  of  their  great  teachers  have 
sought  to  inculcate  freedom  and  responsibility  in 
the  common  people.  "  China:  An  Interpretation" 
gives  this  interesting  message  from  one  of  her 
early  teachers:  "Heaven  sees  as  the  people  see. 
Heaven  hears  as  the  people  hear.  The  people  are 
the  most  important  element  in  the  nation.  .  .  . 
When  one  by  force  subdues  men,  they  do  not  sub- 
mit to  him  in  heart.  When  he  subdues  them  by 
virtue,  in  their  heart's  core  they  bless  him  and  sin- 
cerely submit  to  him."  The  great  teachers  of 
China  have  realized  that  we  need  to  win  men's 
hearts  by  "virtue,"  and  then  they  will  follow  us 
gladly.  This  is  far  more  important  in  the  Chris- 
tian propaganda  than  in  the  ordinary  affairs  of 
men.  To  do  this  well  we  must  love,  trust,  and 
throw  the  responsibility  on  the  native  Christians  as 
soon  as  possible. 

I  am  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  heavenly 
Father  has  chosen  us  to  start  them  right  and  guide 


METHODS  OF  WORK  147 

them  in  their  early  efforts  to  do  His  work,  but  this 
does  not  mean  we  are  to  lord  it  over  them  as  the 
military  leaders  do  the  soldiers,  and  hold  the  reins 
of  government  and  responsibility  until  the  natives 
are  made  weaklings  or  lose  their  self-respect  and 
ambition  in  "  things  religious."  We  learned  a 
lesson  from  the  history  of  early  Catholicism  in 
their  first  contact  with  the  Orient.  They  lost  their 
first  great  opportunity  because  they  did  not  leave 
local  questions  to  the  people  of  China  rather  than 
referring  these  to  the  Holy  See  at  Rome.  Any 
church  that  seeks  to  do  this  in  the  present  age  in 
the  Orient  will  hopelessly  fail  in  developing  the 
Christians  as  they  need  to  be  developed. 

I  had  a  long  talk  one  night  just  before  I  re- 
turned to  the  United  States  on  furlough  with  one 
of  China's  most  highly  educated  and  influential 
young  men.  He  asked  many  questions  about  the 
policies  and  methods  of  the  various  churches  in 
China.  He  told  me  that  he  could  not  retain  his 
self-respect  as  a  Chinese  citizen  and  belong  to  a 
foreign  church  in  his  country — a  church  domi- 
nated by  foreign  ideals  and  government.  He 
wanted  to  see  Christian  churches  where  the  natives 
could  be  normally  developed  and  given  responsi- 
bility and  initiative  in  working  out  their  own  prob- 
lems. This  is  indeed  important  for  the  kingdom's 
largest  growth. 


XX 

THE   CHINESE  AND   CHRISTIANITY'S 
GREAT  OPPORTUNITY 

WE  need  to  take  all  lands  in  our  scope  and 
see  the  relation  of  each  nation  to  the 
world  forces  and  opportunities.  All 
plans  of  conquest  for  the  kingdom  of  God  ought 
to  consider  the  crises  as  these  nations  emerge  into 
larger  activity.  China  is  just  now  seeking  to 
emerge  from  the  past  moribund  civilization  and 
take  her  place  in  the  modern  nations  of  the  earth. 
We  need  to  realize  the  surpassing  importance  of 
this  nation  in  the  world  in  all  things  that  make  for 
.the  weal  or  woe  of  the  nations  in  the  Orient  and 
the  entire  world.  We  have  not  yet  understood 
what  is  involved  in  the  making  of  New  China. 
Julian  Arnold,  an  American  statesman  with  twenty 
1  years  of  experience  in  China,  has  sensed  the  situa- 
tion far  more  than  many  Christian  leaders. 
Though  he  is  a  statesman,  he  is  concerned  about 
all  questions  of  the  life,  development  and  destiny 
of  the  people.  These  are  his  words:  "Where  in 
the  world  is  there  a  country  that  presents  greater 
opportunities    for    constructive    work    or    which 

needs  it  more  than  China.     We  speak  of  the  New 

148 


c 


y  o 
H   o 

u  o 


CHRISTIANITY'S  OPPORTUNITY      149 

China  not  because  of  any  great  changes  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  country,  for  the  villages,  towns 
and  cities  of  this  country  are  little  different  to-day 
in  outward  appearances  from  what  they  were 
decades  ago.  China  is  new  internally  rather  than 
externally.  The  nation  has  experienced  a  change 
in  heart  and  mind.  China  of  to-day  is  receptive 
to  the  lessons  of  Western  civilization.  The  aboli- 
tion of  the  three-legged  essay,  the  persistent  call 
for  a  representative  constitutional  government,  the 
anti-opium  campaign,  the  development  of  the  na- 
tive press,  the  growth  of  nationalism,  and  last  but 
not  least  the  development  of  modern  education, — 
these  are  the  forces  that  proclaim  New  China." 

"  China  is  receptive  to-day,"  but  she  was  not  in 
the  past.  She  is  ready  to  learn  from  others  and 
understand  the  good  of  Christianity  in  meeting 
her  needs.  She  is  not  ready  to  break  with  the  past 
and  inaugurate  a  reign  of  terror,  but  rather  to  in- 
graft her  ancient  civilization  on  to  the  good  of  the 
new  and  adjust  the  wonderful  ages  of  her  long 
past  to  the  throbbing  life  of  the  present.  She  is 
willing  to  consider  sincerely  and  sympathetically 
the  power  of  Christianity  to  help  in  this  transition. 
China  is  not  anxious  to  excel  in  the  arts  of  war  or 
conquest.  She  much  prefers  that  quiet,  peaceful 
life  which  has  characterized  her  long  history.  We 
can  be  thankful  that  she  does  not  aspire  to  great- 
ness as  the  nations  of  the  West  and  Japan  have 
sought  to  determine  greatness  in  the  arena  of  w^ar. 


150         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Many  believe  that  China  presents  the  greatest 
opportunity  Christianity  ever  had.  I  am  glad  to 
give  a  number  of  reasons  why  the  present  oppor- 
tunity is  one  of  surpassing  importance  to  all  the 
world.     What  are  the  main  reasons? 

1.    The  Attitude  of  the  Leaders  to  Christianity, 

Where  and  when  did  we  ever  find  a  nation  with 
leaders  like  the  Chinese  so  friendly  to  Christian- 
ity? The  president  giving  funds  with  many  of 
the  governors  and  leading  men  in  all  lines  of  devel- 
opment to  the  missionary  enterprise  and  giving  re- 
ceptions and  dinners  in  honour  of  the  ambassadors 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Christian  workers  throughout 
China,  where  they  are  really  helping  to  solve  the 
nation's  problems,  are  held  in  highest  honour  by 
all  classes.  These  leading  men  are  not  accepting 
Christianity  hastily,  but  are  giving  it  a  careful  con- 
sideration and  weighing  its  power  and  value  in  re- 
lation to  their  needs.  We  are  glad  they  are  con- 
sidering the  realities  of  Christianity  this  wa}^ 

We  are  aware  that  change  and  restlessness  char- 
acterize all  countries  just  now,  but  not  in  that 
wholesome  way  which  we  find  in  China.  Of 
course  the  Chinese  leaders  are  not  all  great  men  or 
seeking  the  nation's  good,  but  we  find  many  who 
are,  and  this  gives  us  great  hope  that  in  the  end 
the  better  element  will  prevail  and  make  a  New 
China  wherein  righteousness  and  order  will  domi- 
nate. The  change  and  outlook  in  China  are 
greater  and  more  hopeful  than  anywhere  else  just 


CHRISTIANITY'S  OPPORTUNITY      151 

now.  Many  ups  and  downs  will  come,  but  the 
general  trend  at  this  time  is  most  hopeful.  The 
future  depends  on  strengthening  the  constructive 
wholesome  elements  which  Christianity  always 
seeks  to  foster. 

2.  The  Greatness  of  the  Task  Adds  to  Its  Im- 
portance, 

The  heavenly  Father  must  look  on  all  souls  as 
of  infinite  importance.  Greatness  in  His  sight  will 
not  be  determined  by  barren  lands,  fertile  fields, 
beds  of  material  wealth,  but  in  the  number  of  pre- 
cious souls.  The  importance  of  any  task  with 
Him  surely  is  decided  by  the  number  of  endless 
lives  involved  and  their  needs.  Judging  the  Chi- 
nese this  way,  we  see  how  important  must  be  their 
evangelization. 

Every  fourth  person  in  the  world  is  a  Chinese. 
Not  only  is  this  true,  but  the  Chinese  people  in 
moral,  ethical  and  religious  ideals  influence  many 
more  people  than  their  own.  Their  power  in  these 
things  has  had  a  wonderful  influence  over  the 
Japanese  and  the  other  neighbouring  countries. 
The  destiny  of  the  Orient  where  over  half  of  the 
human  family  lives  is  certainly  largely  bound  up 
with  the  Chinese.  In  the  "  Commercial  Hand- 
book," from  w^hlch  I  have  quoted  so  often,  we 
have  these  significant  words :  "  The  greatest  single 
factor  in  the  Far  East  is  China,  which  possesses  a 
territory  more  extensive  than  that  of  the  United 
States  and  a  population  nearly  four  times  as  great. 


152        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

The  entire  population  of  South  America  is  only 
one-seventh  that  of  China,  whose  people  are  homo- 
geneous and  civilized."  Take  all  the  peoples  of 
North  America,  South  America,  England,  France, 
Spain  and  Germany  and  we  would  still  have  less 
than  we  have  in  China. 

Some  people  would  say  the  Chinese  are  not  civ- 
ilized and  cannot  compare  with  the  Anglo-Saxon 
or  Western  nations.  We  are  not  judging  as  the 
Father  does.  It  is  true  they  are  not  advanced  in 
the  arts  of  war  and  commerce  and  the  modern 
sciences,  but  dare  we  say  any  longer  that  these  are 
necessarily  in  their  destroying  and  blasting  powers, 
as  are  .often  used  in  our  present  civilization,  a 
great  step  forward?  These  material  things  are 
important  as  they  are  properly  related  to  the  eter- 
nal things  of  the  kingdom,  but  used  so  lavishly  as 
they  are  so  often  done  for  selfish  pleasure  to  the 
weakening  and  destruction  of  the  nobility  of  the 
physical  and  spiritual  in  man,  they  often  become  a 
curse.  We  hope  that  in  New  China  the  best  of 
our  civilization,  as  true  Christianity  has  made  pos- 
sible, will  guide  and  dominate,  and  then  their 
numbers  and  natural  resources  will  count  for  the 
good  of  the  Orient  and  all  the  world.  In  this  is  a 
nation's  greatness. 

3.     China's  Relation  to  Potential  Nations. 

We  are  inclined  to  think  that  China  is  disap- 
pearing whereas  in  the  West  new'  nations  are 
dawning  with  endless  possibilities.     This  is  true  as 


CHRISTIANITY'S  OPPORTUNITY      153 

fo  the  West,  but  none  the  less  true  as  to  the  East. 
A  student  of  Oriental  questions  says  that  in  the 
islands  to  the  south  and  east  of  China  there  is 
room  for  many  great  nations.  These  islands  are 
almost  wholly  undeveloped.  This  student  says 
that  a  number  of  these  islands  could  support  na- 
tions with  populations  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  millions.  He  estimates  that  in 
these  many  groups  of  islands  there  could  be  sup- 
ported a  population  as  large  as  China  now  has  and 
be  supported  far  better  than  her  present  popula- 
tion. From  the  great  centers  of  life  in  China 
there  are  pouring  forth  into  these  islands  many  of 
China's  best  sons  and  daughters  who  will  develop 
them  to  the  highest  point  of  efficiency.  New 
worlds — nations — are  In  the  making  in  this  section 
as  well  as  in  the  West,  and  the  virile  race  of  the 
Chinese  and  Japanese  will  make  these  fertile  lands 
blossom  as  a  garden.  In  reaching  China  with  the 
gospel  we  are  determining  the  civilization  of  these 
new  nations. 

4.     China's  Location  Adds  to  Her  Importance. 

She  is  the  key-nation  of  the  Orient  as  to  loca- 
tion. She  has  been  the  inventive  people  and  the 
leader  in  moral  ideals  for  the  Orient.  There  is  no 
reason  to  believe  this  will  not  be  true  In  the  future, 
as  in  the  past,  if  Christianity  is  given  a  chance  to 
purify  and  adjust  these  Ideals  to  present  problems. 
The  Chinese  have  the  character  and  the  endurance 
to  make  one  of  the  greatest  nations  in  the  world  in 


154        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

all  that  makes  for  the  world's  good.  She  needs 
only  the  unselfish  ideals  of  the  world's  Saviour 
rightly  related  to  all  problems  of  her  own  life  and 
the  world's  needs.  She  will  then  be  fitted  by  na- 
ture, by  position,  and  innate  power  and  worth  to 
give  to  the  Orient  and  the  world  heaven's  greatest 
blessings  of  peace,  good-will,  and  service  which  all 
lands  so  much  need  at  this  time. 

If  we  are  wise  in  this  our  day,  we  will  use  every 
material  and  spiritual  blessing  of  our  culture  and 
civilization  to  give  the  liberty  and  power  of  the 
gospel  to  these  people  at  this  critical  hour  of  tran- 
sition from  the  old  to  the  new.  For  us  to  selfishly 
hold  on  to  the  material  wealth  or  seek  to  save  our- 
selves with  worldly  ease  and  vanishing  pleasure 
and  fail  to  give  them  the  gospel  in  all  its  pristine 
purity,  beauty  and  power,  we  will  make  the  tragic 
mistake  of  all  history  and  be  unworthy  of  the 
matchless  trust  which  the  Master  has  given  us  in 
the  treasures  of  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  and 
Man.  I  hope  we  will  see  the  importance  of  the 
opportunity  and  use  all  our  talents  in  life  and 
money  to  buy  up  the  inviting  fields  to  the  endless 
glory  of  the  Father  and  the  whole  human  family's 
needs. 


XXI 

THE  CHINESE  AND  THEIR  APPEAL  TO 
THE  VOLUNTEER 

AS  we  see  the  importance  of  giving  the  gos- 
pel to  the  Chinese  for  their  as  well  as 
the  world's  sake,  we  realize  the  great  need 
of  suitable  and  adequate  labourers  who  will  give 
their  lives  to  the  Master  to  make  this  possible. 
This  should  be  done  with  all  possible  haste.  Mr. 
Arnold,  in  his  closing  words  in  the  ''  Commercial 
Handbook,'*  bearing  on  this  phase  of  the  question, 
gives  this  message  (The  "Handbook"  has  just 
been  published  by  the  United  States  Printing  De- 
partment, Washington,  D.  C,  where  these  words 
may  be  seen) :  "  In  fact,  China  has,  during  the 
next  few  decades,  to  be  made  over — rebuilt  as  it 
were.  It  is  difficult  for  the  human  mind  to  con- 
ceive the  extent  of  the  developments  that  must 
take  place  in  China  during  that  process,  so  tre- 
mendous must  those  developments  be.  The  Chi- 
nese people  are  now  receptive  and  desirous  of  em- 
bracing all  that  the  West  has  to  offer;  thus  one 
may  say  that  the  country  is  at  the  threshold  of  a 
renaissance  which  within  a  few  decades  will 
transform  it  into  a  society  entirely  different  from 

155 


156        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

that  which  exists  to-day.  The  extent  to  which 
American  standards  and  ideals  find  a  place  in  New 
China  will  depend  in  a  large  measure  upon  the  in- 
terest that  Americans  now  take  in  furthering  their 
relations  with  the  people  of  their  sister  Pacific 
Republic.  The  United  States  already  has  an  ad- 
vantage, in  that  its  relation  with  China  during  the 
entire  stretch  of  its  history  has  been  such  as  to 
command  the  admiration,  respect,  and  friendship 
of  the  Chinese  people." 

The  Chinese  everywhere  say  we  are  their  old 
and  tried  friends,  and  they  are  looking  to  us  to 
help.  We  have  never  wanted  any  of  China's  ter- 
ritory, no  special  privileges,  always  advocated  fair 
dealings  in  diplomatic  relations,  wanted  nothing 
more  than  actual  expense  in  the  Boxer  Uprising, 
and  eventually  returned  much  of  this;  we  helped  to 
put  down  the  coolie  slave  traf^c  and  opium  curse. 
We  stood  against  and,  no  doubt,  prevented  the 
partitioning  of  China.  These  things  have  won 
the  confidence  and  friendship  of  the  Chinese  which 
they  will  be  slow  to  forget. 

This  confidence  and  friendship  ought  to  be  used 
for  the  people's  permanent  good.  American  com- 
mercial interests  are  using  it  for  all  it  Is  worth 
commercially.  This  is  seen  in  the  millions  of 
cigarettes  reaching  there  from  here  every  month, 
boats  of  Standard  Oil  products,  American  tin 
goods  in  immense  quantities,  "  fifty-seven  vari- 
eties," patent  medicines,  sewing  machines,  elec- 


o  o 


2  c 


z 
z 


< 


APPEAL  TO  THE^  VOLUNTEER        157 

trical  goods,  railroad  machinery,  outlawed  Ameri- 
can liquors,  etc.,  etc.  Some  of  these  things  will 
help,  but  many  will  not — even  harm ;  yet  they  are 
being  rushed  to  the  friendly  markets.  Many  of 
the  well  trained  young  business  men  are  going  to 
sell  these  products — going  from  our  Christian 
schools  and  homes.  They  see  the  great  business 
career  waiting  them. 

What  will  the  volunteer  do  about  the  situation  ? 
Will  w^e  be  satisfied  to  let  the  worst  forms  of  our 
civilization  outrun  the  best  we  have  ?  Christianity 
is  able  to  mould  the  situation  for  their  eternal 
good,  but  men  and  women  must  be  ready  to  reveal 
Christ.  Never  in  all  the  world  has  the  volunteer 
such  an  opportunity  to  guide  a  nation  of  friends 
unto  the  Master.  We  have  the  nation  ready  to  be 
guided  by  friendly  and  unselfish  workers,  great 
leaders  in  potential  powers  need  to  be  trained  to 
help,  and  the  old  order  crumbling  to  make  way  for 
the  "  highway  of  righteousness  "  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Here  we  have  a  people  of  virgin  soil,  not  burnt 
over  as  in  Europe  and  South  America  with  holy 
names  and  vain  forms  of  depleted  Christianity. 
We  have  the  unusual  opportunity  to  lay  the  foun- 
dation and  build  a  new  structure  for  our  God. 
All  these  countries  are  in  dire  need  of  the  original 
gospel,  yet  the  conditions  are  not  the  same  as  in 
China. 

China  appeals  to  the  volunteer  not  only  by  the 
greatness  of  the  task,  the  number  and  kind  of  the 


158        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

people,  crucial  importance  of  the  transitional 
period,  but  she  appeals  to  us  by  her  great  need,  the 
utter  inadequacy  of  the  present  force  trying  to 
cope  with  the  situation.  The  gospel  is  the  only 
hope,  yet  we  do  not  have  the  necessary  workers  to 
give  them  this  gospel.  We  were  horrified  at  the 
waste  of  human  life  in  Europe  and  felt  ashamed 
when  our  young  people  hesitated  to  give  their- 
lives  to  stop  the  conflagration,  yet  there  are  more 
people  who  die  every  year  in  China  without  the 
gospel  of  hope  than  were  killed  in  action  during 
the  entire  war  in  Europe.  This  is  all  the  sadder 
by  reason  of  the  fact  that  our  Christian  people  can 
hear  about  this  situation  in  China  and  not  be 
moved  to  hasty  action  to  prevent  its  continuation. 
We  must  look  to  the  volunteers  of  North 
America  to  give  the  gospel  to  the  Chinese  people. 
Europe  looks  in  pity  upon  the  flower  of  her  young 
manhood  mouldering  in  the  graves  of  wrecked 
nations.  Through  the  Providence  of  our  Cod  we 
have  our  people  mostly  remaining  strong  and  able 
for  service  in  the  conflict  of  our  Saviour.  While 
the  reconstruction  of  devastated  war-torn  Europe 
continues,  we  must  furnish  the  bulk  of  the  money 
and  men  to  give  the  Saviour's  message  to  China. 
Will  our  volunteers  see  the  responsibility  of  the 
hour  and  respond  to  the  call  of  China  and  go  on 
Christ's  joyful  errand  of  peace  and  victory  to  the 
perishing  millions?  The  world  history's  crucial 
hour  and  Christianity's  supreme  need  and  oppor- 


APPEAL  TO  THE  VOLUNTEER   159 

tunity  seem  to  have  focused  upon  the  American 
volunteer.    Is  he  ready  for  the  task  ? 

We  have  heard  considerably  about  China  and 
wonder  if  her  needs  are  not  very  well  met.  We 
have  hardly  begun  the  work.  She  is  the  most 
neglected  mission  field  in  the  world  considering 
the  number  of  people  and  the  workers  we  have, 
both  foreign  and  native.  Li  a  recent  Chinese 
Year  Book  we  gather  this  information: 

Missionaries  per  million  of  population —                Africa,  39 

China,  18 

India,  I7 

Japan,  19 

Native  workers  (in  some  respects  more  important 

for  a  nation's  conquest) —                                   Africa,  213 

China,  49 

India,  124 

Japan,  54 

Communicants  per  10,000  of  population —             Africa,  53 

China,  8 

India,  18 

Japan,  14 

Comparing  these  three  tests  we  find  that  China 
is  the  most  neglected  mission  field  by  far  and 
Japan  is  next.  There  are  many  reasons  why  she 
should  be  the  neglected  nation,  yet  none  of  these 
will  excuse  us  now  in  the  face  of  her  changed  at- 
titude and  readiness  to  hear  the  gospel. 

They  are  indeed  our  brothers  for  whom  Christ 
died  as  well  as  those  nearer  us  by  racial  ties  or 
territorial  location.     These  brothers  will  welcome 


160        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

us  if  we  go  to  them  in  the  spirit  and  purpose  of 
the  Saviour  and  our  hearts  will  be  bound  together 
forever  in  union  with  Christ.  Their  appealing 
needs  and  dire  distress  will  make  our  coming  all 
the  more  welcome  and  appreciated  as  they  find  the 
blessings  of  the  world's  Saviour.  Jesus  called  us, 
as  He  did  Paul  and  his  comrades  at  Troas, 
through  the  cries  of  neglect  and  need.  Through 
these  voices  never  yet  heeded  we  ought  to  gather 
assuredly  that  the  Lord  is  calling  us  to  preach  the 
gospel  unto  them. 

I  find  that  some  make  the  excuse  of  climate, 
difficulties  of  learning  the  language,  lack  of  a  defi- 
nite call.  The  climate  is  like  all  great  countries, 
varied,  yet  among  the  best  in  all  the  mission  fields. 
The  language  is  no  insuperable  barrier.  None  of 
these  things  should  move  us.  Did  not  the  Master 
call  us  all  to  go  and  disciple  the  nations  as  He 
left  for  the  Father's  throne?  Has  this  command 
ever  been  revoked?  Why  wait  for  additional 
call?  Do  not  the  fields  of  greatest  need  and  where 
the  helpers  are  less  adequate  make  the  strongest 
appeal  to  us?  Would  not  Jesus  have  us  there  if 
we  are  fitted  by  nature  and  training  to  render 
good  service?  In  the  light  of  these  facts  every 
volunteer  ought  to  give  himself  absolutely  into 
the  Lord's  hands  to  be  used  in  China  or  elsewhere 
to  make  these  countries  His  kingdom  as  He  may 
guide. 


XXII 

THE  CHINESE  AND  HOW  TO  MEET 
THEIR  NEEDS 

THERE  is  going  to  be  a  new  China,  the 
chaotic  forms  will  take  life,  the  plastic 
conditions  will  be  crystallized,  the  wait- 
ing hearts  will  be  occupied.  The  good  seed  must 
multiply  or  the  pernicious  weeds  will  choke  the 
tender  plants.  The  ripened  fields  must  be  har- 
vested or  the  decaying  grain  will  destroy  the  op- 
portunities. Life  from  above  must  fill  the  anxious 
hearts  or  life  from  beneath  will  make  its  way  and 
determine  the  future.  What  will  be  the  perma- 
nent outcome? 

We  must  answer  this  question  in  our  relation 
to  their  present  needs.  We  cannot  shirk  the  re- 
sponsibility if  we  would.  They  have  placed  their 
destiny  in  our  hands  through  the  good  hand  of 
our  God  to  bless.  The  Lord  of  the  harvest  field 
has  made  fertile  the  fields  and  prepared  us  to  do 
the  sowing  and  the  reaping.  Just  how  are  we  to 
meet  their  needs  in  the  most  effective  way  ? 

It  is  too  commonplace  to  say  that  Western  cul- 
ture apart  from  Christianity  may  hinder  rather 
than  help.    Culture  they  have  which  has  grown  up 

natural  to  their  environment.     To  mix  this  with 

i6i 


162        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Western  culture,  we  may  find  the  last  stage  worse 
than  the  first.  The  tendency  of  our  own  civiUza- 
tion  as  seen  in  fashions  and  amusements  hangs 
heavily  upon  the  hearts  of  those  who  look  to  Jesus 
for  life's  ideals.  Our  hope  for  China  and  the 
world  is  not  in  Western  culture  or  civilization,  as 
powerful  and  attractive  and  helpful  as  some 
phases  of  this  is. 

We  place  our  hopes  entirely  In  Jesus  Christ. 
He  has  given  us  the  message  and  life  from  the 
Father.  We  must  give  the  Chinese  the  gospel. 
Not  an  attenuated  gospel,  not  a  lopsided  or  muti- 
lated message,  but  the  full  redemptive  gospel. 
This  ought  to  be  made  very  tangible  in  sympa- 
thetic deeds  and  practical  lives  wrought  out  in 
their  midst.  The  fact  that  they  have  never  heard 
and  are  wholly  dependent  on  what  we  give  them 
adds  responsibility  to  us  who  are  chosen  to  go  to 
them  for  the  first  time.  The  eternal  verities  ap- 
plied to  all  needs  and  conditions  should  be  our 
chief  concern  and  will  give  permanent  results. 
The  new  leaders  of  reform  in  China  are  watching 
the  results  of  Christianity  in  their  country's  needs. 
They  will  decide  their  relation  to  it  by  what  we 
can  do  to  meet  the  social,  economical,  Industrial, 
political,  religious  needs.  We  must  not  disap- 
point the  leaders  by  falling  to  apply  the  gospel 
as  our  Lord  did  to  meet  all  the  people's  needs  by 
first  making  the  tree  good  and  then  sending  forth 
its  leaves  of  healing.     I  fear  we  have  failed  too 


Section    of    great 
WALL  AT  Nanking. 
Entrance  to   Con- 
fucian Temple,  Pe- 
king. 

Entrance  to  Lama 
Temple,  Peking. 


HOW  TO  MEET  THEIR  NEEDS        163 

often  in  the  West  to  do  this  and  have  brought  the 
reproach  of  so  many  upon  the  present  forms  of 
Christian  work.  We  must  not  repeat  this  in  the 
great  mission  fields,  and  especially  in  China  and 
the  Orient. 

I  wish  to  quote  again  from  Mr.  Arnold  though 
part  of  what  he  says  is  somewhat  personal:  "I 
have  your  letter  of  April  fifth  and  am  glad  you 
have  met  with  much  encouragement.  I  am  not  sur- 
prised in  this  for  the  Chinese  everywhere  will  en- 
courage missionary  effort  if  only  it  meets  the 
needs  of  the  environment  in  which  it  seeks  to 
work. 

"  China  is  now  emerging  from  a  medieval  agri- 
culture, commerce,  industry  and  government  into 
a.  modern  organized  society,  and  its  great  demand 
to-day  is  men  capable  of  leading  its  people  through 
this  very  trying  transitional  period.  The  call  is 
for  men  of  initiative,  men  of  character,  men  edu- 
cated to  understand  the  demands  of  modern  com- 
merce, agriculture  and  industry,  men  capable  of 
sacrifice  and  service  and  who  can  inspire  others 
to  service  and  sacrifice. 

"  China  is  primarily  agricultural  and  will  re- 
main so  for  some  time  to  come,  but  China  needs 
to  adopt  what  the  West  has  learned  In  agriculture 
during  the  last  century,  If  China's  agriculture  is 
to  support  the  needs  of  New  China.  Is  not  Chris- 
tian leadership  needed  In  aiding  this  momentous 
change  involving  as  it  does  the  welfare  of  four- 


164         THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

fifths  of  the  entire  population,  and  how  can  Chris- 
tian leadership  be  made  effective  if  it  does  not 
understand  the  problems  with  which  the  people 
have  to  contend  and  be  a  factor  in  aiding  to  solve 
these  problems  ? 

*'  Similarly  in  industry,  in  commerce,  in  educa- 
tion, in  social  and  civic  activity.  Bear  in  mind 
also  that  the  New  China  will  fall  far  of  the  mark 
of  its  potentialities,  in  fact  will  be  most  disap- 
pointing, unless  the  Chinese  woman  is  elevated  to 
the  position  which  she  should  and  is  capable  of 
occupying  in  the  new  social  order.  She  will  have 
much  indeed  to  do  with  the  moulding  of  the  New 
China.  The  work  among  the  women  is  vastly  im- 
portant and  here  also  needs  leadership." 

Mr.  Arnold  furthermore  says  the  great  need  is 
the  right  kind  of  leaders  from  the  home  churches. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  these  helpful  words  from 
a  man  who  sees  the  problems  as  a  whole  and  has 
given  sympathetic  concern  about  mission  work 
though  he  is  the  American  Commercial  Attache 
at  Peking.  I  am  sure  that  every  close  student  of 
Chinese  problems  whether  in  the  mission  service 
or  that  of  our  government  realizes  the  importance 
of  what  he  says.  The  outcome  of  the  situation 
and  the  future  destiny  of  the  millions  in  the  Orient 
depend  on  the  kind  of  mission  leaders  we  send. 
They  need  to  be  men  of  large  vision,  capable  of 
adjusting  themselves  to  the  situation,  willing  and 
anxious   to  give   their   lives   whole-heartedly   to 


HOW  TO  MEET  THEIR  NEEDS        165 

solving  the  physical  and  spiritual  problems  of  the 
masses. 

I  am  led  to  think  if  our  home  churches  were 
to  follow  the  example  of  the  church  at  Antioch 
and  wait  upon  the  Lord  in  prayer  and  fasting, 
teaching  and  winning  the  lost  to  Christ  as  their 
chief  reason  for  existence  in  this  world,  the  Holy 
Spirit  could  say  separate  unto  the  work  leaders 
worthy  of  the  task  awaiting  God's  people  in  the 
Orient.  The  Church  and  the  Holy  Spirit  could 
send  these  forth,  as  in  the  case  of  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas, to  turn  the  tides  of  history  for  great  nations 
for  all  time  to  come.  The  situation  in  China  un- 
doubtedly calls  for  the  great  leaders  in  the 
churches,  but  the  churches  must  enter  fully  upon 
the  Lord's  world  program  before  these  leaders 
will  be  "  thrust  out "  clothed  with  all  power  to  do 
His  work. 

In  a  brief  discussion  like  this  I  cannot  go  into 
detail  as  to  how  the  missionary  can  help  in  solving 
the  problems  of  the  masses.  I  will  mention  one  in- 
cident that  will  be  suggestive  of  the  many  ways  the 
earnest  labourer  will  study  the  situation  and  make 
the  adjustment — contact — so  as  to  reach  the  peo- 
ple with  the  gospel  in  the  most  effective  way. 
While  in  Tsinanfu,  Shantung  Province,  I  visited 
the  Institute  conducted  by  an  Englishman,  Dr.  J. 
S.  White wrIght.  In  this  Institute  he  seeks  to  re- 
veal the  progress  of  the  Western  nations  and  the 
enlightening  saving  power  of  Christianity  to  the 


166        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

individual  and  society  by  attractive  informing  pic- 
tures. Modern  education,  hygiene,  government, 
church  life,  etc.,  are  told  to  the  streams  of  visiting 
people  every  day  by  these  objects  and  pictures. 
The  world's  industrial  and  commercial  and  agri- 
cultural centers  send  the  results  of  their  work  to 
this  institution  for  exhibition  and  use. 

Large  buildings  are  given  up  to  its  work.  Re- 
ligious services  and  everything  is  done  to  win  men 
and  women  to  Christ  and  all  that  is  good  in  our 
civilization.  All  classes  are  encouraged  to  come 
without  cost  or  hindrance  any  time  during  the 
day.  I  found  that  the  highest  officials  in  the 
province  as  well  as  the  common  coolie  were  de- 
lighted with  the  Institute  and  were  willing  to  help 
in  its  upkeep.  Dr.  Whitewright  estimated  that 
the  number  of  visits  last  year  would  be  600,000, 
and  the  number  is  constantly  on  the  increase.  The 
whole  of  North  China  has  been  influenced  by  such 
an  enterprise  which  is  costing  the  home  board  but 
a  little — expense  borne  mostly  by  the  Chinese. 
This  is  done  by  free-will  offering  as  the  lover  of 
the  people  may  desire.  Such  and  many  other 
kinds  of  institutions  could  be  established  all  over 
China  and  supported  by  the  people  with  our  help 
in  opening  the  work. 

Christianity  is  equal  to  the  situation.  If  we 
will  but  be  true  to  its  realities  adjusted  to  all  con- 
ditions and  problems,  It  will  solve  the  needs  for 
the  present  and  all  time  to  come. 


XXIII 

THE  CHINESE  AND  THE  WORLD 
POLITIC 


T 


"^HE  Orient  and  the  Occident  cannot  be 
separated  in  the  world  politic  any  longer. 
We  are  one  great  family  and  must  be 
alive  to  each  other's  heart-throbs.  The  age  of 
commerce,  steam,  electricity,  aircraft  will  break 
all  barriers  and  throw  us  together  for  woe  or  for 
weal.  In  every  line  China  will  count  more  and 
more  in  the  reckoning.  Mr.  Chi  Chin  Nieh  of 
Peking  Chamber  of  Commerce  said  the  other  day 
to  a  group  of  Americans:  "If  you  want  to  de- 
velop the  Chinese  as  buyers,  you  must  help  de- 
velop their  industries.  You  in  America  spend 
more  than  fifty  dollars  each  year  for  clothing  per 
person,  while  we  in  China  spend  only  one  dollar. 
If  we  could  increase  our  buying  power  to  two 
dollars,  we  could  take  the  entire  output  of  your 
New  England  mills.  Such  are  the  enormous  pos- 
sibilities of  the  Chinese  market."  Commercially 
China  is  bound  to  affect  the  world  greatly. 

She  will  also  affect  the  political  life.     This  can 
be   easily   seen.      The   center   of   militarism   has 

167 


168        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

shifted  from  the  West  to  the  East.  China  and 
the  world  are  greatly  involved  in  the  growing 
militarism  of  the  Orient.  The  heinous  growing 
octopus  is  rising,  as  it  were  from  the  sea,  and 
reaching  out  and  organizing  in  such  a  way  to  be- 
come easily  a  world  menace.  Enlightenment, 
modern  advancement  in  material  things,  unified 
and  thoroughly  organized  with  the  natural  re- 
sources and  the  splendid  man  power  of  the  Orient 
could  become  the  "  peril "  of  the  world's  peace. 
If  China  is  not  moulded  by  outside  militarism,  but 
given  the  noblest  ideals  of  world  service,  we  do 
not  fear  the  outcome;  but  should  the  forces  of 
righteousness  and  salvation,  which  we  have  in 
Christ,  remain  indifferent  or  weak-hearted  in  the 
present  crisis,  we  cannot  foretell  the  outcome  to 
the  world's  peace  and  usefulness  in  all  things  that 
are  worth  while. 

The  conflagration  that  may  be  possible  will  not 
come  if  we  give  the  Chinese  the  ideals  of  Christ 
our  Lord.  They  have  been  a  peace-loving  people, 
yet  among  the  greatest  warriors  when  once 
aroused.  Their  possibility  for  evil  or  for  good  in 
the  world  politic  is  indeed  worth  our  most  serious 
consideration.  In  this  question  of  government 
and  militarism  it  behooves  us  to  lend  our  aid  to 
the  forces  that  will  help  reconstruct  China  on 
a  Christian  basis. 

In  questions  of  disease  and  hygiene  we  cannot 
look  lightly  upon  China  in  her  relation  to  other 


THE  WORLD  POLITIC  169 

nations.  Some  of  the  physicians  in  the  Orient 
maintain  that  the  influenza  germ  is  very  closely 
related  to  the  pneumonic  plague,  and  that  the 
world's  scourge  of  "  Flu  "  of  the  last  few  years, 
taking  away  many  more  lives  than  the  war,  had 
its  origin  in  China,  immediately  following  the 
pneumonic  plague  outbreak  of  North  China.  The 
natural  habitat  of  plague  and  cholera  is  in  China 
and  India.  We  are  having  to  spend  great  sums 
of  money  to  protect  our  western  and  southern 
coasts  against  these  diseases.  We  cannot  permit 
the  Orient  and  especially  China  to  be  sick  and  we 
remain  well.  We  must  suffer  together  and  rise 
together  if  we  are  willing  to  be  brothers  in  reality. 
We  must  be  brothers  in  the  world's  problems, 
hence  it  Is  far  better  to  be  mutually  helpful. 

All  other  questions  are  directly  or  indirectly 
bound  up  with  that  of  religion.  In  this  we  cannot 
be  separated.  China  will  influence  the  world 
politic.  Many  of  the  modern  cults  casting  their 
shadows  on  our  own  homes  at  this  time  are  noth- 
ing more  than  certain  heathen  religious  ideas  tak- 
ing root  and  adjusted  to  our  people.  They  are 
seen  with  their  developed  fruitage  In  China. 
These  cults  are  deep-rooted  In  the  very  life  of  the 
Chinese,  and  they  will  find  rootage — as  they  are 
now  doing — In  the  shallow  religious  life  of  so 
many  of  our  people.  We  go  to  the  Pacific  coast 
where  Oriental  life  has  influenced  our  people  most 
and  we  find  these  cults  flourishing.    Stalwart,  true 


170        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Christianity  need  never  fear,  but  Christianity  in 
name  so  often  seen  in  too  many  churches  will  not 
conquer  such  evil  forces.  We  need  to  give  the 
Cross  all  its  realities  and  power  in  truth  and  life 
if  we  are  to  conquer  false  religions  and  prevent 
Oriental  cults  from  rising  with  their  baneful  in- 
fluences in  our  own  lands  of  the  West. 

We  can  readily  see  that  in  revealing  Christ  in 
all  His  saving  power,  we  are  not  only  helping  the 
Chinese,  but  the  world.  We  indeed  are  one  fam- 
ily. Christianity  must  conquer  all  or  all  will  suf- 
fer in  the  wake  of  our  failure.  With  unspeakable 
joy  and  confidence  I  know  that  He  is  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords  and  will  conquer  the 
forces  of  evil  as  we  give  ourselves  to  His  world 
program.  We  shall  need  to  deal  with  individual 
and  international  questions  as  Christ  would  have 
us  to  if  we  are  able  to  cope  with  the  many  ques- 
tions in  China  as  these  bear  on  the  world  politic. 
This  was  ever  in  the  dreams  of  the  prophets  and 
the  Son  of  Man  when  He  dwelt  in  our  midst. 
Should  it  not  be  in  the  heart  of  every  believer  in 
this  our  day?  Then  we  will  help  China  make 
her  contribution  to  all  questions  of  the  world 
politic  in  the  most  wholesome  way. 


XXIV 

THE  CHINESE  AND  THE  KINGDOM 
OF  GOD 

JESUS  as  He  left  His  disciples  to  return  to 
the  Father  spoke  this  message :  "  All  author- 
ity hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and 
on  earth,  Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of 
all  the  nations."  Paul,  in  a  letter  to  contentious 
believers  desiring  position  of  prominence,  says: 
"  That  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bow,  of  things  in  heaven  and  things  on  earth  and 
things  under  the  earth."  He  also  wrote  a  letter  to 
new  converts,  who  were  mystified  by  the  cults  of 
their  day,  in  which  he  says :  "  And  through  Him 
to  reconcile  all  things  unto  Himself,  having  made 
peace  through  the  blood  of  His  cross;  through 
Him,  I  say,  whether  things  upon  the  earth,  or 
things  in  the  heavens."  The  heavenly  messenger, 
direct  from  the  risen  and  exalted  Christ,  speaking 
to  the  Apostle  John  In  the  darkening  hours  of  the 
terrible  Roman  persecution,  gave  these  hopeful, 
comforting  words:  "The  kingdom  of  the  world 
is  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord,  and  of  His 
Christ,  and  He  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever." 

171 


172        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

These  words  point  to  the  time  when  the  powers 
of  the  world  will  be  subjugated  to  the  "  Lamb 
that  was  slain,"  and  He  shall  reign  supreme. 

None  can  doubt  that  the  world's  Saviour  had 
China  in  His  plans  of  conquest  as  well  as  the  na- 
tions of  the  West.  The  same  sun  that  shines  in 
our  country  lights  up  the  fields  and  mountains  of 
China;  the  same  stars  bedecking  the  heavens  in 
our  land  are  recognized  in  China  as  the  friends  of 
our  childhood ;  the  silver  rays  of  the  moon  we  love 
so  well  in  the  summer  nights  in  the  West  appear 
even  brighter  in  the  Orient — these  all  are  from 
one  common  mind  and  for  all.  Even  so  are  the 
blessings  of  the  Son  of  God  to  all  who  will  accept 
them.  He  is  their  Elder  Brother  as  well  as  ours. 
We  have  no  blessings  from  the  Father  that  are 
not  suitable  or  were  not  meant  for  the  Chinese. 

We  rejoice  to  report  that  they  are  recognizing 
Him  as  their  Father.  Prejudice  to  the  mission- 
ary is  disappearing  and  the  good  things  the  Father 
has  in  store  for  them  are  being  seen.  The  friends 
of  the  kingdom  from  all  lands  have  helped  to  put 
down  the  curse  of  opium,  foot-binding,  coolie 
slave  traffic,  bad  diplomacy  and  encourage  self- 
respect  and  independence  from  outside  pressure, 
freedom  from  the  binding  traditions  of  the  past, 
and  turning  their  hopeful  lives  to  the  giver  of  all 
power  and  wisdom  for  every  time  of  need.  As 
the  results  of  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom  new 
hope  and  new  life  are  filling  the  hearts  of  many 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  173 

young  men  and  women.  These  are  seeking  to 
have  new  bodies,  new  conditions,  and  a  new  nation 
for  the  good  of  all.  A  young  army  is  forming 
with  these  happy  aims. 

The  labours  of  the  past  add  hope  to  the  present 
kingdom  movements.  Many  have  suffered  and 
entered  on  rest,  but  from  their  persecution  and 
arduous  toils  a  brighter  day  is  dawning  for  the 
sons  of  the  kingdom.  The  trials  are  not  all  over, 
for  still  persecutions  in  the  family  and  in  the  clan 
are  often  rampant,  but  there  are  signs  of  better 
days  just  ahead  even  in  these  things.  However, 
we  see  that  the  sufferings  of  the  past  are  not  in 
vain.  The  type  of  Christianity  has  come  out  of 
these  that  give  us  our  greatest  hope.  The  mis- 
sionary of  world  conquest  longs  to  see  a  better 
type  of  Christianity  so  that  our  Lord's  kingdom 
may  have  a  fair  chance  in  the  affairs  of  men.  As 
yet  it  never  has  been  given  a  fair  test.  The  purer 
the  type  the  stronger  will  be  its  conquering  forces. 
If  Jesus  had  absolute  freedom  in  the  hearts  of  His 
children  in  our  own  country  to  do  as  He  pleases 
with  their  lives  and  possessions,  He  could  hasten 
the  coming  of  His  kingdom  in  China.  The  faith- 
ful whom  He  has  called  from  among  the  heathen 
— choosing  a  people  for  the  Lord — would  add  their 
lives  to  ours  and  we  would  speed  the  day  when  all 
should  know  the  Lord  from  the  least  to  the  great- 
est. 

The  disciples  of  the  Lord  the  world  over  need  to 


174        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

understand  the  importance  of  the  present  condi- 
tion of  all  forces  in  that  land.  All  the  past  has 
made  possible  the  present  and  the  present  m.ust 
determine  the  whole  future.  The  plastic  restless 
condition  of  the  rising  nation  with  such  marvel- 
lous man-power  and  unmeasured  natural  re- 
sources plead  for  the  soldiers  of  the  Saviour  to 
use  all  efforts  to  mould  the  situation  for  our  God. 
The  kingdom  the  world  over  is  greatly  influenced 
by  the  results  of  the  conflict.  Desultory  battles 
we  have  had  along  the  coast  and  in  the  increasing 
centers  throughout  the  nation,  but  we  are  now 
entering  into  trench  warfare — a  siege  of  conquest 
that  must  reach  the  little  towns  and  hamlets  the 
nation  over,  and  make  known  to  all  the  people  the 
good  news  of  the  kingdom. 

I  believe  the  immense  amount  of  material 
wealth  in  our  country,  the  wonderful  culture  of 
our  schools,  the  magnificent  structure  of  many  of 
the  home  churches,  the  aroused  conscience  of  the 
Christians  of  all  sections  in  questions  of  world 
import  and  their  brother's  need  regardless  of  place 
or  colour,  have  prepared  us  to  unite  all  efforts  and 
center  all  action  on  these  great  mission  fields.  If 
we  will  consecrate  all  our  material  and  spiritual 
wealth  to  this  holy  task,  we  like  David  will  serve 
our  generation  and  those  to  follow  according  to 
the  will  of  God,  and  make  our  contribution  to  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  all  non-Chrlstlan  lands,  and 
what  is  best  for  the  Father's  kingdom  anywhere^ 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  175 

in  the  world  will  be  best  for  it  in  China.  All  our 
material  blessings  as  well  as  spiritual  may  be  in 
vain  to  us  and  the  kingdom  if  not  related  properly 
to  the  kingdom's  needs  where  the  battle  is  most 
terrific  and  the  siege  warfare  most  important. 

What  I  have  written  will  be  in  vain  if  I  have 
not  been  able  to  show  that  the  battle  for  the  king- 
dom forces  in  China  seriously  affects  the  kingdom 
the  world  over.  If  we  realize  this  and  understand 
the  supreme  importance  of  the  present  transitional 
period  as  it  bears  on  the  peoples  of  the  Orient  and 
the  world,  I  shall  rejoice.  In  what  I  have  written 
I  have  drawn  from  all  sources  for  my  information 
in  order  that  the  situation  may  be  revealed  to  us 
by  the  official,  the  business  man,  the  teacher  and 
the  missionary.  This  I  have  hoped  would  give  an 
unbiased  revelation  of  the  exact  condition  we  are 
now  facing  and  will  encourage  all  followers  of  the 
Master  to  contribute  to  the  utmost  to  buy  up  the 
situation  for  our  God. 

The  task  is  so  immense  and  fraught  with  such 
endless  possibilities  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  all 
His  children  should  be  doing  their  best  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  hour.  To  let  this  transitional 
hour  pass  and  not  mould  the  nation  for  the 
Saviour,  we  shall  never  be  able  to  labour  with  as 
hopeful  results  in  all  probability  again.  Nations 
in  their  making  have  their  adolescence,  as  well  as 
individuals,  and  during  this  time  in  all  probability 
their  destiny  as  a  kingdom  force  is  determined. 


176        THE  CHINESE  AS  THEY  ARE 

Every  student  of  China  believes  the  nation  is  in 
this  period.  The  time  to  labour  for  endless  re- 
sults is  now.  The  group  of  Christians,  who  will 
hesitate  or  let  home  or  other  duties  prevent  them 
from  helping  to  mould  the  situation  for  our  God, 
will  be  recreant  to  duty  and  unworthy  of  the 
blessed  trust  and  honour  of  the  gospel  for  all  the 
world.  We  will  be  handling  lightly  the  eternal 
realities  of  the  divine  message  which  China  and  all 
the  world  needs. 

May  our  common  Lord  guide  us  in  our  relation 
to  the  Master  in  His  plans  of  conquest  for  China 
and  the  world  and  enable  each  one  to  see  his  duty 
as  this  bears  on  China  and  the  world,  and  then 
may  the  Spirit  of  all  truth  and  wisdom  and 
strength  move  each  heart  to  perform  well  his  task 
in  making  all  lives  and  all  deeds  bring  on  His 
world  reign  according  to  the  will  of  the  Father. 


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